Timothy Nickson, a 37-year-old Black male from Helena-West Helena, was found shot multiple times in the living room of a home in the 500 block of Poplar around 6:30 a.m. on September 15, 2022. Officers and medics rushed him first to Helena Regional Medical Center, then he was airlifted to Regional One in Memphis. Despite the transfers and treatment, he succumbed to his injuries two days later, on September 17, 2022. The shooting location was listed as 517 Poplar Street, anchoring
investigators’ early timeline and scene work as they retraced the quiet predawn hours that ended with gunfire and a frantic call for help.
Detectives soon named a person of interest: 41-year-old Prinze Watson of Helena, whom they sought for questioning as they pursued leads and appealed to the public for tips via Tip411 and a department phone line. Public updates at the time emphasized the search for Watson and the continued investigation; local outlets did not report any charges or arrests in connection with Nickson’s killing in the days immediately following his death. The case narrative that emerged in the aftermath is of a targeted burst of violence inside a home, an emergency flight to Memphis, and an investigation that publicly centered on identifying and locating a single person of interest.
