Khalif Sinclair ( Montgomery County District Attorney's Office)
NORRISTOWN, Pa. - A Norristown man has been arrested and charged in connection with a murder in November, prosecutors announced Thursday.
According to investigators, Khalif Sinclair, 23, is charged in the murder of Abdur Small, 21, in his Norristown home on Nov. 20. An arrest warrant was issued for Sinclair on Dec. 18 and U.S. Marshals arrested him in Marcus Hook on Jan. 7.
Officers responded to the 500 block of West Lafayette Street for a reported shooting. Arriving officers located Small inside the living room of the residence suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.
Small was taken to Suburban Community Hospital and later flown to Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia where he succumbed to his injuries.
Prosecutors say video surveillance showed that Sinclair, who lives next door at 500 West Lafayette Street, and several occupants of Small’s home were involved in a verbal altercation around 2:45 p.m. that afternoon.
Witnesses told police Sinclair wanted to fight the occupants of the home. Less than three hours later at approximately 5:30 p.m., according to witness accounts and surveillance video, Sinclair allegedly walked onto the porch of the home and fired two shots from his 9mm handgun into the residence, prompting one of the home’s residents to return fire using a .22 caliber firearm.
Small was closest to the door as the shots were fired, and he was hit by a bullet that the autopsy confirmed was fired by one of the home’s other occupants, according to investigators.
"The defendant went to the residence with the specific intent to kill and his actions directly resulted in the death of Abdur Small," said DA Kevin Steele. "If he had not gone to the door of that residence, armed with a handgun and then fired into the residence, the other occupant of the house would not have fired his weapon in self-defense, and Small would still be alive today."
Sinclair is facing first-degree murder, third-degree murder, and related charges. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 14.
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Police investigate shooting that killed man, 21, inside Norristown home
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