Nickolas Anthony Ross, a 23-year-old biracial male of White, Black, and Colombian heritage, was killed on September 17, 2020, after a shooting at the MacArthur Apartments in the 5700 block of Northwest 19th Street in Oklahoma City. According to investigators, officers were dispatched to the apartment complex after reports of gunfire. When they arrived, they found Ross suffering from a gunshot wound in the parking lot.
Emergency responders transported him to a local hospital in critical condition, but despite medical efforts to save him, he died from his injuries.
As detectives began investigating, they determined that the shooting occurred after Ross became involved in an altercation with two other men. Authorities stated that the confrontation escalated, and during the dispute Ross was shot. Investigators worked to reconstruct the events leading up to the homicide by interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence from the scene.
Police quickly developed leads and, a short time after the shooting, located and detained two men at a residence in nearby Midwest City. Both individuals were taken into custody for questioning in connection with the homicide. Public reporting initially indicated that authorities were continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fatal encounter while prosecutors reviewed the case. According to information provided by a close family member that could not be independently verified, there were at least four or five people involved in the events surrounding Ross's death, including the two individuals who were ultimately arrested. The family member also believes Ross was lured to the location by a White woman as part of a setup and has stated that the driver involved was never identified or apprehended.
According to information shared by a close family member that could not be independently verified, the family was not notified of Ross's death by law enforcement and instead learned of it through a message sent from his Facebook account by an unidentified person. The family member also stated they were not allowed to identify Ross until his body had been released to the funeral home for a brief viewing and that his personal belongings were never returned. The same family member further stated that Ross appeared to have been involved in a physical struggle before he was shot, believing his injuries suggested he had fought with his attackers.
The family member also said they repeatedly attempted to provide investigators with information they had uncovered but felt their concerns were not taken seriously. According to the family member, they have never had the opportunity to speak in depth with investigators about the case. Those claims have not been independently verified through publicly available records.
Publicly available reporting on the case is limited. According to the family member, the two individuals convicted in connection with Ross's death ultimately received prison sentences of approximately 10 years and 11 years. The family member maintains that those sentences do not reflect the full scope of those responsible and continues to believe that additional individuals involved in the homicide have never been held accountable.
