A fifth suspect wanted in connection with an Orlando drive-by shooting that killed a teenager and a 6-year-old girl, was found and arrested in Colorado.
Tyrik Omari Nichols, 21, was arrested on Friday, September 29 by law enforcement authorities in Arvada, Colorado, according to a statement from the Orlando Police Department.
“The Orlando Police Department would like to thank the Colorado Violent Offender Task force attached to the United States Marshals Service, The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Arvada Police Department, for their assistance in making this arrest,” reads the statement.
Nichols is charged with first degree homicide in the shooting deaths of 6-year-old Ajahliyah Hashim and 19-year-old Isaiyah Wright.
According to OPD, Nichols was part of a group of multiple individuals that committed the fatal, drive-by shooting at Carver Shores on August 29.
The fatal shooting took place in the 1100 block of Poppy Avenue on August 29. Officers responding to reports of a shooting found 6-year-old Hashim and her mother suffering from gunshot wounds. Both were transported to a local hospital, where Hashim passed away from her injuries in the days that followed. Wright was located at Health Central Hospital a short time after the shooting and was pronounced deceased at the hospital.
A student at Eagle’s Nest Elementary School, Hashim was sitting inside her living room when she was shot by stray bullets. She and her mother were not the intended targets of the shooting, police say.
Four teenagers have already been taken into custody for the shooting, which was connected to “gang and gun violence,” according to State Attorney Andrew Bain.
The four individuals that were previously arrested include 17-year-old Brandon James Pickett, 15-year-old Nico Brown, 18-year-old Raymond Bowery, Jr., and 17-year-old Kny Adams.
According to Bain, all four individuals arrested in connection with the homicides will all be tried as adults, despite three being under the age of 18.
“When we charge teenagers as adults, we are deterring and addressing these acts of violence early to hold individuals accountable,” says Bain. His office says it will hold the “most dangerous and violent offenders accountable for their actions” and ensure that they will face the “full consequences of the crimes they have committed.”
Law enforcement authorities are still asking the public for any information related to this incident. If you have any information that may help police in this case, please call the Orlando Police Department at 321-235-5300, or the Central Florida Crimeline at 800-423-8477.