On a December afternoon in 2022, a trip to a corner store turned into a tragedy that ended the life of Tykeem Berry, a 30-year-old male from New York, New York. On December 15th, at approximately 4:00 p.m., Berry had just picked up his 10-year-old daughter from school and they stopped at the 144 Deli-Grocery on Nagle Avenue in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan to get some snacks.
Their afternoon routine was shattered when another man, Joseph Morros, entered the bodega and an argument erupted between him and Berry.
The verbal altercation quickly escalated. Morros reportedly left the deli, shouting for Berry to meet him outside. Moments later, he re-entered the store, this time brandishing a gun and pointing it at Berry. In an apparent effort to protect his daughter who was still inside, Berry rushed at Morros and pushed him back out onto the sidewalk. It was there that Morros fired a single, fatal shot into Berry's chest. Morros then fled the scene, leaving Berry dying on the pavement as his young daughter watched in horror from inside the store. Emergency services were called, and Berry was transported to Harlem Hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries shortly after arriving. The entire horrific incident was captured on the store's surveillance video, which would prove crucial in the investigation that followed.
The New York Police Department quickly identified 27-year-old Joseph Morros as the suspect. He was subsequently arrested and faced serious charges for his alleged actions. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced that Morros had been indicted by a grand jury on charges of Murder in the Second Degree and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. In public statements, the District Attorney emphasized the shocking and brazen nature of the crime, which not only took a man's life but also endangered the public and left a young child with an unimaginable trauma.
Tykeem Berry was remembered by his family as a loving father to his daughter and a son. His obituary described him as a natural athlete who was outgoing and positive, a man whose family was his pride and joy. The community was left shaken by the senseless violence that took his life. The legal case against Joseph Morros is proceeding through the court system.
