BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — A 17-year-old Boynton Beach teen has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Nigel Beckford, police announced.
The teen faces charges of first-degree murder with a firearm and discharging a firearm from a vehicle in the death of Beckford.
The shooting occurred just before 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 8, in the area of 100 Northwest 8th Avenue. The Boynton Beach Police Department's shot detection system alerted officers to multiple gunshots in the area, while dispatch simultaneously received several 911 calls reporting that a man had been shot.
Officers working an off-duty detail at nearby Sara Sims Park responded immediately and found Beckford suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Though conscious at the scene, Beckford was able to provide only limited information to officers before being rushed to a local hospital for emergency surgery. He later became unresponsive and died from his injuries.
Police say the preliminary investigation revealed the suspect fired multiple rounds from a vehicle before fleeing the scene. Using license plate readers, detectives quickly identified a suspect vehicle and located it on Quantum Lakes Drive, though it was found empty. No suspects were found after an extensive search of the area.
Through additional investigative leads, detectives identified a second suspect vehicle and obtained multiple search warrants, which they executed with SWAT team assistance.
The teen was arrested by U.S. Marshals on Monday. He is currently being held at the Juvenile Assessment Center while the investigation continues.
