UPDATED Statesboro Police Investigating Fatal Shooting on Lanier Drive, Seeking Witnesses

UPDATE 10/26/2025: SPD detectives have identified the suspect as Khalir Nickens and have issued warrants for his arrest. Nickens is charged with felony murder, as well as other felonies.

Khalir Nickens

From SPD:

Statesboro Police Identify and Seek Suspect in Fatal Shooting of Deontre Mincey

Since the early morning hours of Saturday, October 25, 2025, Statesboro Police Department (SPD) detectives have pursued leads in the shooting death of 30-year-old Deontre Mincey.

Mincey, a native of Portal, Georgia, was murdered in the parking lot of 200 Lanier Drive, a commercial strip containing a bar and smoke shop. A second adult male was also injured in the incident, having been dropped off at East Georgia Regional Medical Center with a non-life- threatening gunshot wound to the arm.

Suspect Identified and Warrants Issued

The initial investigation was complicated by the fact that no witnesses remained on the scene to assist with identifying the victim or providing information. However, through the use of various technologies, forensic work, interviews, and search warrants, detectives were able to quickly identify a suspect.

SPD has obtained arrest warrants for Khalir Nickens, a 21-year-old male from Sylvania, Georgia. Nickens is charged with Felony Murder as well as several other associated felonies.

Nickens should be considered armed and dangerous.

Call for Information

The Statesboro Police Department is asking the public for assistance in locating Khalir Nickens.
Anyone with information on this case or on Nickens’s current location should contact:
–Senior Detective Cross at 912-764-9911
–Submit an anonymous tip by visiting https://statesboropd.com/ and using the “Submit
a Tip” link.

ORIGINAL 10/25/2025: Statesboro Police Department detectives are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred in the parking lot at Cowboy’s Bar and Smoke Crave on Lanier Drive. Video evidence shows multiple witnesses in the parking lot in close proximity to the shooting, but none remained on the scene to provide information. Detectives are urgently asking these individuals to come forward and provide their statements, which could prove critical in solving the case.

From SPD:

At 1:01 A.M. today, shots were fired in the parking lot of 200 Lanier Drive, a commercial strip containing Cowboy’s Bar and a Smoke Crave location. Upon arrival, Statesboro Police Department (SPD) officers discovered a 30-year-old male who was deceased on the scene from a gunshot wound.

The victim was quickly identified using an SPD portable fingerprint scanner. His next of kin has been notified; however, his identity is being withheld at this point in the investigation.

Multiple detectives responded to the scene and immediately began reviewing video surveillance and accessing Flock tag reader data. Video evidence clearly shows that there were multiple witnesses present in the parking lot in close proximity to the shooting, but none remained on the scene to provide information. Detectives are urgently asking these individuals to come forward and provide their statements, which could prove critical in solving the case.

The victim will be transported by the Bulloch County Coroner’s Office to the GBI’s Coastal Regional Lab for an autopsy.

How to Submit a Tip
Anyone with information regarding this incident should contact Senior Detective Cross at 912- 764-9911 or submit an anonymous tip by visiting https://statesboropd.com/ and using the “Submit a Tip” link.