On the evening of November 3, 2021, in the Young Terrace neighborhood of Norfolk, Virginia, a violent outburst shattered the community and tragically ended the life of Sarah Elizabeth Costine, a 44-year-old female. Known also by her Muslim name Sa'idah, she was a mother of six who had previously overcome battles with cancer. Her life was cut short when she acted heroically in an attempt to save another.
The incident began with a domestic dispute that escalated to gunfire.
Ziontay Palmer, 19 at the time, was arguing with his pregnant 19-year-old girlfriend, Angel Legrande. When the argument turned violent, Palmer shot Legrande. Hearing the commotion and the gunshot, Sarah rushed from her home to aid the injured young woman. It was in this selfless act that she too became a victim. As she tried to help, Palmer shot her. The bullet struck her in the left elbow and traveled to her chest, inflicting a fatal wound.
The violence did not end there. In what would be described as a mass shooting, Palmer also killed Legrande's mother, 45-year-old Nicole Lovewine, and Lovewine's partner, 42-year-old Detra Brown, who had also come to help. Another woman, Shazelle Dixon, was also shot and injured. In a horrifying turn of events, Sarah's three youngest children witnessed the tragic shooting of their mother while they were playing on a nearby trampoline.
Following the shooting, Ziontay Palmer fled the scene but was later taken into custody. He was charged with three counts of second-degree murder, malicious wounding, and several firearm-related counts. In November 2023, a jury found Palmer guilty on all counts, including three counts of aggravated murder. In February 2024, he was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences plus an additional 43 years in prison for his actions that resulted in the deaths of three women and the injury of two others.
