Pennsylvania Officer Faces Manslaughter Charge in Fatal Shooting of College Student

POLICY WIRE — Norristown, Pennsylvania — A Pennsylvania police officer has been charged with voluntary manslaughter following the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old college student who mistakenly went to the wrong house late at night.

Upper Pottsgrove Police Cpl. Sean Farrell was charged after he shot Glenwood Earl Pysher IV, who was unarmed and had his hands raised, according to police body camera footage.

The video shows Farrell yelling commands at Pysher before firing two shots, hitting him in the chest. Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele stated that Farrell had less-lethal options available, such as a taser, and did not need to use deadly force.

Attorney Ken Fulginiti, representing Pysher’s family, expressed gratitude towards the prosecutor’s office and called for justice in the case.

Farrell surrendered to authorities and was released on bail with conditions, including the surrender of all weapons. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 10.

The incident occurred after Pysher, who had been out celebrating a friend’s birthday, mistakenly went to the wrong house. Body camera footage contradicts Farrell’s claim that Pysher charged at him.

According to a nationwide database maintained by Bowling Green State University criminal justice professor Philip Stinson, 218 local police officers have been charged with murder or manslaughter in on-duty fatal shootings since 2005, with 78 convictions and 107 acquittals or dismissals.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)