Nickolas Van-Jor Chinn was 22 when he was found lying in the street at the intersection of Shore Drive and Lancaster Creek Road in Morattico on the evening of June 26, 2023. Deputies pronounced him dead at 8:29 p.m., and the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest.

Authorities described the incident as tied to an illegal gun deal. A pistol and counterfeit money were found at the scene, and additional counterfeit bills were in Chinn’s pocket. A suspect, 22-year-old Sevin Shykim Noel of Lottsburg, was charged with first-degree murder; Noel’s attorney later argued the shooting was self-defense, saying Chinn had threatened and produced a firearm first.

On February 15, 2024, Noel pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and shooting in the commission of a felony; the court accepted a plea agreement and imposed a combined 15-year sentence with five years suspended. Nickolas’s mother, Betsy Chinn, delivered a victim impact statement recounting her last phone call with him and the call informing her he had been shot.

If anyone knew Nickolas, was with him that evening, or has information about the events at Shore Drive and Lancaster Creek Road, please share what is known.