Upper Darby teen charged with murder in fatal shooting of 16-year-old boy who went to his high school

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on charges of killing a fellow student at Upper Darby High School earlier this week, officials said Wednesday.

Michael Nixon has been charged as an adult with murder and related crimes for shooting Khalief Webster in the back on Sunday during an argument on Long Lane near Pine Street, police said. Webster, 16, was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Nixon remained in custody, denied bail. There was no indication he had hired an attorney.

In announcing the arrest, Upper Darby Police Superintendent Tim Bernhardt said Webster‘s death was senseless and had forever scarred two families.

“We should be here talking about Khalief Webster‘s future, his life, his plans, and all he had to offer,” Bernhardt said. ”Instead, we’re talking about a crime that shouldn‘t ever have happened.”

Investigators said Webster was riding a miniature dirt bike in the area of the shooting Sunday when he encountered Nixon, who was walking nearby.

Nixon asked Webster if he was the “young boul” he had seen “the other day,” and then shot Webster when he responded to his question, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.

Nixon fled, and was recorded on a surveillance camera telling someone on a phone call that he had shot somebody in the chest, the affidavit said.

Bernhardt said the motive for the shooting remained under investigation.

Thanks to surveillance footage and witnesses, Bernhardt said, his officers were able to identify Nixon as a suspect in the killing hours after it took place. Those officers served search warrants on two properties in Upper Darby on Tuesday and were able to speak with some of Nixon’s relatives.

Detectives also recovered two spent shell casings, two handgun frames, and a cross-body bag similar to one Nixon was seen wearing in surveillance footage.

One of the teen’s relatives admitted to picking up Nixon and taking him home shortly after the shooting, the affidavit said.

That person, whom police did not name, told detectives that Nixon and Webster knew each other and had gotten into disputes in the past.

Investigators may file additional criminal charges, Bernhardt said, against other people responsible for “keeping [Nixon] hidden” after the murder.

Hours after the warrants were served, Nixon turned himself in to Upper Darby police.

Upper Darby Mayor Ed Brown said Wednesday that Webster was a bright young man who had never gotten into trouble.

“We have got to find another way to solve conflicts,” he said. “Guns are not the answer. This is just senseless and it breaks my heart.”