Ricky Orlando Nichols Jr., 20, was fatally shot on May 25, 2024, at about 5:00 p.m. in a drive-by near the intersection of Dearborn Drive and Old Oxford Road in Durham. Nichols was a passenger in a white sedan when another vehicle approached and fired multiple rounds into the passenger side. The assailant’s vehicle fled; the sedan’s driver then went to the 3600 block of Keystone Place, parked and fled on foot, leaving Nichols injured in the car. He was taken to a local hospital and later pronounced dead.

On September 19, 2024, the U.S. Marshals Task Force arrested 21-year-old Michael Elijah McCray in Richmond County in connection with Nichols’ death. McCray was charged with first-degree murder and transported to the Durham County Jail, held without bond. He also faced Cary Police Department charges related to multiple counts of breaking and entering motor vehicles, one with theft. The Durham Police Department continues to seek information; anyone with details is asked to contact Investigator A. Bongarten at 919-560-4440 ext. 29529 or CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200.

Does anyone have information about the shooting or remember seeing suspicious vehicles near Dearborn Drive and Old Oxford Road that afternoon?