Nicole Pannell, a 41-year-old Black woman from Columbus, Ohio, was found shot inside a home on Pine Rise Court late on the night of September 9, 2024. Responding officers discovered her unresponsive inside while a man lay unresponsive in the backyard; medics pronounced Nicole dead at 11:32 p.m. and the man a minute earlier. A police media release identified her as the victim and indicated the scene appeared to be a murder-suicide.
The Franklin County Coroner later ruled her death a homicide, noting she had been shot six times. Loved ones remembered her as Nicole Sonya “Nikki” Dortch Pannell, born in Cleveland and known for her generosity and bright spirit.
Investigators said the preliminary evidence showed 31-year-old Kristian Hives shot Nicole before taking his own life at the residence in northeast Columbus. Local news reports described the case as one of several apparent murder-suicides under investigation during that period. In the days that followed, funeral notices and memorial pages confirmed her identity, age, and date of death, and announced services at Living Faith Apostolic Church in Columbus. Because the suspected shooter died at the scene, police did not announce any arrests in connection with Nicole Pannell's killing.
