On March 3, 2023, at approximately 3:03 p.m., the Richmond County Sheriff's Office responded to a call reporting a male individual yelling for help on Sallie Goins Hill Road in Ellerbe, North Carolina. Upon arrival, deputies found 21-year-old Nikolas Jurel Cromer of Rockingham lying on a front porch, suffering from gunshot wounds. Cromer informed the deputies that he had been shot.
Emergency Medical Services were dispatched, and first aid was administered on-site before Cromer was transported to a trauma center. Despite medical efforts, he later succumbed to his injuries.
Following an investigation, authorities identified 31-year-old Patrice Hoza Taylor, also known as "Meecy," from Aberdeen, as the primary suspect in the shooting. Taylor was described as a Black male, 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 165 pounds, with tattoos covering both arms and the neck area. He was considered armed and dangerous, with known associations in Richmond and Cumberland counties. Consequently, arrest warrants were issued for Taylor, charging him with murder.
On April 19, 2023, U.S. Marshals apprehended Taylor in connection with Cromer's death. In addition to the murder charge, Taylor faced charges for possession of a stolen firearm by a convicted felon and various illegal narcotics offenses. His criminal history included previous convictions for discharging a firearm into occupied property, eluding arrest, and multiple drug possession charges, for which he had served a three-month prison sentence in a Moore County correctional facility in 2021. Following his arrest, Taylor was processed into the Richmond County Jail without bond.
The tragic death of Nikolas Jurel "Nik" Cromer was deeply mourned by his family and community. Born on April 3, 2001, Nikolas was remembered as a kind-hearted and loving individual. He was preceded in death by his great-grandparents, Samuel (Buck) Johnson and Carrie Johnson, and his grandfather, David Little. He is survived by his mother, Deana Cromer Person, his sister, Amaia Wall, and his grandparents, Julia and Kennie Buchanon, among other relatives and friends.
