Walter Riley Palmer, a 29-year-old African American man, was killed in a drive-by shooting on October 29, 2020, in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago. The shooting happened about 7:30 a.m. while Palmer was walking on the sidewalk in the 2400 block of East 78th Street. An unknown assailant drove by and fired multiple shots, striking Palmer several times. He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center and pronounced dead; the Cook County medical examiner ruled the death a homicide after an autopsy.

Area Two detectives handled the investigation. No arrests were made immediately after the shooting, and detectives continued to seek leads as the case remained open. The shooting added to concerns about gun violence in South Shore and the surrounding community.

If anyone has information about what happened that morning or saw activity near East 78th Street around 7:30 a.m. on October 29, 2020, please contact the investigators.