In the quiet of his own Binghamton apartment on the evening of September 30, 2024, Tyrell Norris, a 41-year-old male, was fatally struck by a stray bullet. The tragic incident occurred at the Town and Country Apartments located at 100 Roberts Street. Norris was inside his second-floor residence when a bullet, fired from a dispute erupting in the parking lot below, penetrated his home and struck him in the head.
He was rushed to Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City, where he was pronounced dead. Authorities quickly determined that Norris was an innocent bystander, an uninvolved party to the conflict that claimed his life.
The investigation into the shooting led police to identify 19-year-old Darius Palmer as the suspected shooter. A few weeks after the incident, Palmer was located and taken into custody in the Bronx by a U.S. Marshals Service task force. He was initially wanted on an unrelated warrant by the Johnson City police. During the course of the investigation, another man was found nearby with a gunshot wound to his foot, though his injuries were not life-threatening.
In January 2025, Darius Palmer pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree manslaughter for the death of Tyrell Norris. Subsequently, he was sentenced to 20 years in state prison. During the sentencing, it was revealed that Palmer and Norris were acquainted. Norris's wife addressed the court, expressing a wish for Palmer to turn his life around. Palmer offered an apology to the court, stating that he thinks about the incident every day and wishes he could take it back.
Tyrell Norris, originally from Brooklyn, New York, was remembered as a good, hardworking man with a big heart who was loved by those around him. His obituary noted he was survived by his significant other and children.
