Xavier Palmer of Yonkers, 29.      

By Ben Crnic From Daily Voice

A 29-year-old man has been arraigned on murder and weapons charges in connection with a deadly summer shooting in Westchester that claimed the life of a 41-year-old victim, prosecutors announced. 

Xavier Palmer, age 29, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon during his arraignment on Thursday, Nov. 13. He was then remanded to the Westchester County Jail by Judge George Fufidio, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office said.

The charges stem from a shooting that happened shortly before 12:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 11, on the sidewalk near 30 Cliff St. in Yonkers. Officers responding to the scene found James Hardy, age 41, suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. 

Hardy, who lived in Mount Vernon, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, as Daily Voice previously reported. 

A loaded Glock 9mm handgun was recovered at the scene, according to the DA’s Office. 

Yonkers police arrested Palmer within hours of the shooting. Investigators said the incident began as a dispute between Hardy and Palmer before Palmer allegedly opened fire and fled. Detectives quickly identified him as a suspect and took him into custody the same day. 

"Despite law enforcement efforts to keep violent crime at all-time lows in Yonkers and throughout Westchester, this case is a reminder that our community is still vulnerable to tragic and senseless crimes like this," DA Susan Cacace said on Thursday, adding, "My hopes are that the prosecution of Xavier Palmer will bring some sense of closure to the victim’s friends and family.”