Montgomery County Coroner Provides Details on Upper Pottsgrove Police Shooting
The coroner's office confirmed that 22-year-old Glenn Pysher died from chest gunshot wounds after police responded to a burglary call and an officer fired two shots, classifying the death as homicide for certification purposes.
Montgomery County officials released new details about the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Glenn Pysher in Upper Pottsgrove Township. Police were dispatched around 12:29 a.m. on Aug. 23 after a 911 call reported a burglary in progress at a residence. During the encounter an officer fired two rounds, striking Pysher in the chest, according to the coroner’s office.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office certified the cause of death as gunshot wounds to the chest and listed the manner of death as homicide, noting that under Pennsylvania law the homicide classification is a medical determination and does not imply criminal intent.
Pysher’s mother, Erin Pysher, said her son had been celebrating a friend’s birthday at a bar and mistakenly knocked on the wrong door while under the influence. She told reporters he was on the phone with friends at 12:32 a.m. and believed he was shot by 12:35 a.m. She added that he was unarmed, carrying only a cellphone and a backpack.
Surveillance cameras positioned behind the home captured the incident; investigators are reviewing the footage as part of an ongoing investigation, but the video has not been released to the public.
"He ended up at the wrong house after having a few drinks. He didn't know that, so he was knocking on the door saying, 'Hey, let me in,' thinking it was his friend's house, but it wasn't," said Erin Pysher.
Family members described Pysher as a young man who loved baseball and was preparing to continue his athletic career at Saint Elizabeth University in New Jersey after recently transferring there.