Father of Fresno shooting victim says son was a brilliant man who struggled with addiction
The father of a Fresno man who was fatally shot in April is speaking out about his son’s killing, saying his son struggled with drug addiction — but wanted to make a positive change before he died.
Nikilas Cornwell, 28, was shot to death in southeast Fresno during the early evening hours of April 26. The accused killer Jeffrey Emmett, 27, is charged with murder, possession of a firearm by a felon and possessing a controlled substance while armed. His bail is set at $1.6 million.
Emmett on Thursday pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Police said the shooting happened during the early evening. For unknown reasons, Cornwell and Emmett got into a dispute and Emmett fired one bullet at Cornwell, striking him in the head, according to law enforcement.
At about 8:15 p.m. police responded to a 911 call about a shooting victim at the intersection of Clinton and Argyle avenues, near Fresno Yosemite International Airport.
When police and rescue crews arrived they found Cornwell. Meanwhile, Emmett was nowhere to be found. It would take detectives several weeks before they connected Emmett to Cornwell’s death.
Court records show Emmett has convictions for possession of controlled substances, grand theft, buying and receiving stolen property, possession of burglary tools and use of tear gas.
Emmett was arrested on June 3 for being a felon in possession of a loaded semi-automatic handgun. Detectives interviewed Emmett, who later confessed to killing Cornwell, according to police.
Son faced challenges, wanted to improve
Todd Cornwell, Nikilas’s father, described his son as a “brilliant mechanic” who struggled with addiction issues. At the time of his death, Nikilas Cornwell was without a place to live and had been using methamphetamine.
The elder Cornwell said he wrote down his thoughts about the tragedy of his son’s death in a letter titled “Sunflowers from Heaven.”
In the letter he wrote that his son sought treatment several times in his life and would stay clean for a while, but then relapse. Drugs and depression cost Nikilas his job, his apartment and ultimately his car. He turned to living on the streets.
About a week before his death, Cornwell sent a message to his mother on Facebook. It read simply: “Mom.”
She happily responded with encouraging messages.
Todd Cornwell wrote: “All this time, she had been messaging him positive notes. ‘Hey we love you, when you are ready to accept help, we will help you get into a program.’ Day after day, short little notes of encouragement, he had finally seen them, and had replied. Later that afternoon, through Facebook messenger, he called. For 17 minutes and 19 seconds, my wife got to talk to our son. He was sober, hungry, and asking for help. He was finally ready for a change.”
The Cornwell’s tried to find their son in the area he told them he was living, but they never connected. A local business owner said he had seen their son recently and gave him some of Nikilas’s favorite foods: Uncrustables, and soup. He also let him use his phone.
“That Monday evening, as he closed up his business, and went to drive away, he saw my son lying on the street, and dialed 911,” Cornell wrote.
The pain of losing their son was cushioned somewhat by an outpouring of support. The family set up a GoFundMe to pay for funeral expenses and they raised $10,000 in 65 hours.
Emmett’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 31 in Department 33.
This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 6:05 PM.
