Long Live Kobe

With Christmas Day less than 48 hours away, Tyler Kobe Nichols was preparing to spend time with his family as they do every Christmas. On December 23rd, 2020, Tyler and his brother Shayne went to Leroy’s Barbershop for a fresh line as they prepared to attend a friend’s holiday party later that evening. On the walk back home, a walk that they had taken many times before, the unimaginable happened.

As detailed in “Long Live King Kobe,” “Tyler Kobe Nichols collapsed onto the sidewalk with three knife wounds in the front of his torso and one in the back.” The 21-year-old young man with his whole life ahead of him wouldn’t live beyond his walk home!

“Long Live King Kobe” is a presentation of the moments leading up to the gruesome killing and the weeks that followed. “Long Live King Kobe: Following the Murder of Tyler Kobe Nichols” by Paul Auster (Author), Spencer Ostrander (Photographer), Sherma Chambers (Foreword) brings the reader into the space of “Life After Death.” Understanding that life for those who remain must go on we begin to journey the questions of How, When, and How long? If time is alleged to heal all wounds, what is the length of time needed to heal a mother who has lost her son? The brother who was there when his brother was murdered? The cousin who attempted to stop the bleeding as the paramedics were en route? Time… A calculation of seconds, minutes, and hours leads to days, weeks, months, and years. Yet, at the moment in time when Tyler Kobe Nichols lost his life, it seems as if time stood still as the shock made its way throughout the family.

Going beyond the book, I was afforded the opportunity to speak with Tyler’s cousin Kareem. Kareem, though a cousin by blood, was more like a brother to Tyler. The bond between him and Tyler is one that you learn as you read the pages of Long Live King Kobe: Following the Murder of Tyler Kobe Nichols. No one can tell the story better than one who was there. Furthermore, as the family keeps Tyler’s legacy alive with the “Long Live King Kobe” Non-Profit, it was time to talk about his legacy.

“Long Live King Kobe is a non-profit based in Brooklyn. We’re dedicated to preventing street violence through peaceful and compassionate initiatives.”

“Our goal is to open a community center for individuals and families who have suffered from violence, and to help them heal through one-on-one and group therapy sessions. The organization was founded in 2021 following the senseless murder of our beloved Tyler Kobe Nichols.”

Long Live King Kobe