On October 7, 2025, a federal grand jury in Asheville, North Carolina, indicted Derrick Alan Cucumber, 45, of Cherokee, N.C., on charges of first degree murder in Indian Country and discharging a firearm during a violent crime. The charges relate to the shooting death of Mario Sanchez Nino on November 9, 2024, in the Western District of North Carolina.
Court documents state that Cucumber, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, drove to a relative’s home and confronted Nino and another man near a firepit. He is accused of pointing a gun at Nino and shooting him, causing his death.
After the incident, Cucumber left the scene. Officers from the Cherokee Indian Police Department later arrested him at his home after a two-hour standoff. He is being held in federal custody while awaiting trial…