FOX 46 Charlotte has learned the man who was shot and killed on Brookshire Boulevard in north Charlotte Saturday morning was an active member of the “Stop the Violence” campaign.

“You know when I heard the news, it hit me hard because it’s kinda personal,” Donnell Gardner said, from Team Tru Blue.

Friends tell FOX 46 Charlotte that Preston Nicholson, 44, was a family man. He was born and raised in Charlotte and was an active member of the community.

Just this summer he took part in a “Stop the Violence” charity softball game put on by the local organization Team Tru Blue.

“If you call him to do something, he will do it. He’s just that kind of guy. So for this to happen to him it’s just a big shock, a big shock to everybody,” Will Adams said, founder of Team Tru Blue.

Investigators said Saturday around 2 a.m. Nicholson was driving down Brookshire Boulevard when someone in another vehicle started firing shots.

Officers found Nicholson shot in his car on the side of the road near the intersection with Lawton Road. He was taken to the hospital with serious injuries and was unable to breath on his own. Investigators said he died at the hospital Saturday afternoon.

“Again we are standing here about a young man whose life has been taken by a gun. It’s senseless,” Adams said. 

Investigators haven’t said if a suspect is in custody or if they are searching for the vehicle involved. Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at (704) 334-1600.