Police said four middle school students were inside the home when a handgun fired once.
UPPER DARBY, PA — A 14-year-old boy has been charged as an adult after a 14-year-old girl was fatally shot Thursday inside an Upper Darby home where classmates were handling a gun, police said.
The shooting has shaken a Delaware County neighborhood and a middle school community as investigators sort through witness accounts, a criminal complaint and the question of how the children got access to the handgun. Police said the boy faces third-degree murder and related charges after the girl was shot in the head.
The shooting happened May 14 at a home on the 100 block of Springton Road. Police said four juveniles, described as middle school students, were inside the house after school. Officers were called just after 1:30 p.m. and found the girl with a gunshot wound to the head. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Upper Darby Police Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt said investigators believe the group had been playing with the gun in an upstairs bedroom when it fired. “It wasn’t like this was an act of violence, it wasn’t like this was a fight, it wasn’t a dispute,” Bernhardt said.
According to the criminal complaint, the group had walked to the victim’s home after school and two of the teens went into a bedroom where they knew the girl’s mother kept a handgun. The girl’s mother was at work at the time, police said. The complaint said the 14-year-old boy told detectives he was holding the gun while sitting on the victim’s bed and did not know a round was already in the chamber. Investigators said one witness told police the boy shouted, “Oh my God, I just killed her!” after the gun fired. Police said three teens ran from the house after the single shot.
A neighbor called 911 after hearing the gunshot and also contacted the homeowner, who was the victim’s mother, police said. The mother later told detectives that her daughter had a half day of school and had texted her at 1:16 p.m. to say she was home. Police have not released the victim’s name. Officials said the girl attended Beverly Hills Middle School in the Upper Darby School District. The district said student support staff and counselors were available at the school Friday as classmates, parents and staff returned one day after the shooting.
Police said the boy, identified in one police update as Nazim Lar, was charged as an adult with third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, possession of a firearm by a minor and possession of an instrument of crime with intent. Bail was denied, according to police. Investigators said they determined the boy had the gun in his hand based on interviews with the other juveniles who were present. Police said no one else was facing charges as of Friday, though the investigation remained open. Officials had not released a full court schedule for the case.
Bernhardt said the charge was tied to what he described as extreme recklessness in handling the handgun. He said one careless moment had changed the lives of the victim’s family, the other children in the room and the wider community. Police said they were still reviewing how the handgun was stored and how the students reached it. Early reports said it was not clear whose gun it was, while the complaint said the boy told detectives he knew where the victim’s mother kept a handgun in the home. Authorities did not announce charges against any adult by Friday night.
Neighbors described the shooting as a painful shock on a block where families knew one another and children were coming home from school when police arrived. Sheryle Williams Barnes, a neighbor, said it was a “terrible tragedy” for a mother to receive that kind of call while at work. Aspara Agyeman, another neighbor, said the loss hit more than one household. “Any time a young person loses their life, it’s a sad occasion,” Agyeman said. Other neighbors said children who knew the girl were crying as word spread through the area.
The case remains under investigation by Upper Darby police. As of Sunday, authorities had reported one teen charged and no continuing threat to the community. The next public milestone is expected through court proceedings or a police update on the remaining investigative questions.
Author note: Last updated May 17, 2026.