16-year-old Shelby High School student hit, killed by car

SHELBY, N.C. — Investigators with the North Carolina Highway Patrol are looking into whether an argument between a boyfriend and girlfriend ultimately led to the death of a Shelby High School student.

Troopers said Nycia Copes, 16, was hit by a car and killed while standing in the intersection of Borders and Oak Grove roads in Shelby early Saturday morning.

Investigators said her boyfriend, Devonte Parks, was also hit by the car but is expected to survive.

North Carolina Highway Patrol said troopers were dispatched to the intersection around 1 a.m. When they arrived, investigators said they saw the couple’s car stopped on Borders Road, where it intersects with Oak Grove Road.

“The doors were open and the car was running,” said Sergeant Kenneth Moore, with NC Highway Patrol.

Moore said MEDIC was tending to Copes and Parks, who were both lying in Oak Grove Road after being struck by a car.

“Apparently both subjects had gotten out of the vehicle and were standing in the middle of the roadway,” said Moore.

Moore added that Copes was then hit by a second car. He said both drivers stopped and called 911.

Parks was rushed to a hospital in Charlotte and is expected to survive. Copes, who was a student at Shelby High School, was pronounced dead at the scene.

“It’s tragic,” said Moore. “Sixteen years old.”

Neighbors who live near the intersection told Channel 9 they didn’t hear the impact, rather the sirens of first responders arriving to the scene.

“I had just gotten home and heard all of the ambulances come in,” said Jimmy Morrison.

Morrison said he had driven through the intersection minutes before the crash and didn’t notice anything unusual.

“It’s sad any time someone is killed, but a 16-year-old,” he exclaimed. “You’re still just a kid.”

Troopers hope to interview Parks once he’s well enough to communicate. The investigation is on-going.

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