29th Tacoma Homicide of 2022: Nicholaus 'Nikk' Ahlstrand

It was the evening of August 24, 2022. Nicholaus Ahlstrand was near the 3600 block of South 31st Street near Highway 16. Just before 6:30pm police received reports of gunfire in the area. First responders found Nicholaus with a serious gunshot wound to the chest. First responders tried to save his life but his wounds were too severe and he died on the scene becoming the 29th Tacoma homicide of 2022.

Unfortunately, much like the homicide I reported on last week, this murder also remains unsolved and so there are few details that have been released or learned about the events that led up to Nicholaus’s murder. If you have any information whatsoever about this murder, you are urged to contact the Tacoma Police Department’s Crime Tip line at (253) 591-5959 or click here.

Nicholaus usually went by Nikk. He was a jack of all trades. Whether it was construction, cooking, car repair Nikk knew what he was doing and was happy to help. He often worked as a construction painter. It’s difficult to find a photo of him without paint on his clothes or a grandkid in his arms. He was a father and grandfather and enjoyed both roles immensely.

It’s never easy when someone close to you is killed, but not knowing what happened or who is responsible for your loss is its own kind of pain, one that doesn’t go away. And that pain is felt by everyone the victim knew. It’s a pain that can be alleviated by the closure of learning what occurred and holding the guilty accountable. When it comes to cold cases like this one and last week’s, these almost always get solved when someone who knows somebody does the right thing and tells the authorities.

The comment section is reserved for those who knew Nikk and want to share a thought, memory, or funny story about Nikk.

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