Before several patrons, U. Darby barber killed execution-style

In the presence of several patrons, including a 4-year-old boy, an Upper Darby Township barber was shot and killed execution-style Wednesday afternoon in a shop near the 69th Street Terminal.

"It was a hit," said Michael Chitwood, police superintendent in the Delaware County township.

Chitwood identified the victim as Michael Turner, or Michael Boone, whose last known address was the 7100 block of West Chester Pike.

Shortly before 2 p.m., the gunman entered the Modern Hair Design Shop on Copely Road, his face covered with a shirt or some type of cloth, according to Chitwood.

He ordered the patrons, including the child, to lie face down on the floor. As he approached the barber, the victim was heard to say, "I've got your money."

After Turner reached into his pocket and handed over an undisclosed amount of cash, the gunman shot him in the temple and fled.

"It all happened so fast," said Johnny Newtown, owner of an adjacent hair salon, one of several in the densely commercial neighborhood, as police officers cordoned off and guarded the crime scene.

Newtown said that the business owners typically kept to themselves but that he had a cordial relationship with the victim, adding that he was particularly quiet. "He was always very, very nice," said Newton.

After the shooting, the gunman fled in the older-model Nissan or Toyota that had brought him to the shop, Chitwood said.

He said the assailant was a heavily built African American and that police had a substantial description of him.