was born in Brooklyn on August 27, 1981. Nicholas attended local public schools and was an honor student. He was also a member of the I.S. 293 basketball team and regularly attended services at the Church of Garden Christ in Brooklyn.
On September 24, 1994, Nicholas was playing cops and robbers with his friends in a dimly lit hallway in the Gowanus Houses. At the same time, a housing police officer was pursuing a suspect in the Houses. Tragically, the officer mistook Nicholas's toy gun for a deadly weapon and opened fire, fatally shooting him. Even though Nicholas' gun had bright orange marking on it indicating it was a toy.
Nicholas was a young man with a bright future whose life was sadly and accidentally cut short. The officer has never been charged with any wrongdoing.
The above mural is a picture of Nicholas Heyward by the spot that he was shot. It was a collaboration between the Heyward Family, Gowanus Community and Groundswell Community Mural Project. It is located at Hoyt & Baltic St., Brooklyn NY
