Vigil held for Nicholson in Staunton

By Jimmy LaRoue

Published: November 15, 2008

STAUNTON – Pray for Shay.

That was the motivation of the more than 100 people gathered at Gypsy Hill Park on a wind-swept Saturday evening in a vigil for Reginald “Shay” Nicholson, a former R.E. Lee High School football star who was shot Nov. 9 in Harrisonburg.

“It’s the worst thing that happened to the best person,” said Cindy Wood, 18, a friend of Nicholson’s who organized the vigil in an effort to raise money for his family to help pay for his medical bills.

Those who spoke at the vigil called for people not to retaliate.

According to his cousin, Matt Ware, 19, of Staunton, Nicholson is still in critical but stable condition at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville.

Ware, who said he was with Nicholson on the night of the shooting, said his cousin was targeted, but that he didn’t know the alleged shooter or the alleged assailants. And like the others at the vigil, Ware was adamant that Nicholson was not part of a gang.

“When I noticed he was shot, I ran to him,” Ware said. “I was there staring at him, thanking God he ain’t dead. For a minute, I thought I was staring at a dead man, but he [wasn’t]. The Lord blessed him.”

Harrisonburg police have arrested four men in connection with the shooting, including Zachery Turner, 18, who was charged Friday with firing a gunshot that hit Nicholson in the back of the head, leaving a bullet lodged in his skull. Turner faces three firearm charges and another charge of aggravated malicious wounding, but has not been charged with gang participation.

Jahmaine Faqiri, 18; Gregory Baker, 20; and Demonds Parrish, 19, all of Ruckersville, have been charged with assault and battery by a mob and gang participation. Faqiri has also been charged with brandishing a firearm.

Ware said the people allegedly involved in shooting his cousin were “ignorant” and “dumb.”

Ware and Nicholson grew up playing together, and Ware said all Nicholson wanted to do was play football. He said it wasn’t uncommon for them to go to Harrisonburg to hang out.

The Rev. Doris Woodson of Friendship Church in Staunton led the group in praying for Nicholson.

Nicholson’s second cousin, Frezelle Crawford, said people should counter any negative comments with three words.

“Pray for Shay,” Crawford said.

On the night of the shooting, Ware said he saw the men involved in the shooting come in flashing gang signs.

“They came in, one minute they [were] throwing up one gang sign, the next minute they [were] throwing up another,” Ware said. “And to negate any ignorant activity going on, I screamed out, ‘How about Barack Obama?’ Everybody was cool.”

That is when, Ware said, he started getting names and where the people were from. A fight soon broke out. The first shot fired, Ware said, was indiscriminate; the second shot wasn’t, missing a female companion of theirs but hitting Nicholson.

“The first [shot] was just dumb and reckless,” Ware said, “but he aimed it … to the right. When he aimed it to the right, she ducked. He shot him. He aimed it down at Shay.”

Ware said he never left Nicholson, and said if he was any closer to the shooters, “I’d have broke their arms off.”

“I don’t care what them dudes say,” Ware said. “I don’t know if they thought they were being hard, being gangsta, being cool, but Shay and I are cool.

“Now you’re [fixing] to do life and the man you shot ain’t going to die.”