On a cold December night in Pontiac, gunfire on Auburn Avenue turned a quiet block into a crime scene and set two brothers on very different but equally grim paths through the courts. One is already doing time. The other is now waiting to hear just how long he will be gone.
The shooting happened in mid-December 2024 in the 700 block of Auburn Avenue, where deputies arrived to find multiple shell casings scattered on the street and a 29-year-old man shot in the side, according to CBS News Detroit. Investigators say brothers Terrell and Kentrell Norton were picked up in separate operations: Terrell at a South Sanford Street home and Kentrell after a short foot chase through an Orion Township mobile-home park. Sheriff Michael Bouchard has said that people who carry and use guns illegally should face the toughest penalties the system can hand out, per that reporting.
Both brothers, 21-year-old Terrell and 19-year-old Kentrell, eventually entered no-contest pleas to assault with intent to murder and felony-firearm charges, with prosecutors agreeing to drop several other counts as part of the deal, according to The Oakland Press. The outlet reports that Kentrell received a sentence of 7 to 25 years in prison on the assault conviction, plus an additional two-year term on the felony-firearm count. Terrell entered his plea on March 10 and is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
Evidence and Arrests
Detectives say a search of the South Sanford Street residence turned up ammunition and clothing they believe was worn during the shooting, while a Polymer80 handgun with no serial number surfaced after Kentrell was taken into custody, according to CBS News Detroit. Members of the sheriff’s fugitive apprehension team tracked down Kentrell, authorities said, while Terrell was arrested at the Sanford Street home.
Ghost Guns and the Bigger Problem
The recovery of an unserialized handgun in the Auburn Avenue case has become one more data point in a growing statewide concern about so-called “ghost guns” that law-enforcement officials and anti-violence advocates say are showing up more often in criminal investigations. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a multistate coalition aimed at holding firearm industry players accountable and has pushed for laws targeting these untraceable weapons, according to a December press release from the Michigan Attorney General. In Lansing, a state Senate committee has already advanced legislation that would ban ghost-gun kits, as reported by WWJ Newsradio 950.
What’s Next in Court
Terrell Norton is scheduled to be sentenced on April 14, The Oakland Press reports. Prosecutors are expected to ask the judge to weigh the use of a firearm and the violent nature of the assault heavily when deciding his prison term. At that Oakland County hearing, victim impact statements and the plea agreement that cut down the original list of charges will help shape the final outcome.
With one brother already serving a multi-year prison term and the other weeks away from learning his fate, the Auburn Avenue shooting is likely to linger in local conversations as a stark example of how easily assembled guns and fast-moving plea deals can collide with life-altering violence. Authorities continue to urge anyone with information about the case to contact the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
