Pennsylvania officer charged with voluntary manslaughter in fatal shooting of college student
Upper Pottsgrove Police Corporal Sean Farrell has been charged with voluntary manslaughter after body-camera footage showed he shot unarmed 22-year-old Glenn Pysher, who had his hands raised, despite having less-than-lethal options.
A Pennsylvania police officer was indicted on a voluntary manslaughter charge for killing a college student who mistakenly knocked on the wrong door after a night out. Upper Pottsgrove Police Corporal Sean Farrell, 58, is accused of shooting 22-year-old Glenn Pysher on Aug. 23, after Pysher entered a residence he believed was a friend’s home.
According to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, body-camera video shows Farrell drawing his firearm, using its light to illuminate the driveway, and repeatedly ordering Pysher to show his hands and drop to the ground. The footage also shows Pysher raising his hands and walking toward the officer before Farrell fired two shots from a distance of about 17 to 20 feet, striking Pysher twice in the chest.
The district attorney’s office said Farrell had non-lethal tools, including a taser, on his utility belt that were not employed. Steele stated that Pysher was unarmed, had his hands in the air, and did not pose a threat, concluding that the use of deadly force was not legally justified.
Pysher had been celebrating a friend’s 21st birthday at a bar in Upper Pottsgrove and later attempted to walk to another friend’s house, mistakenly approaching the wrong door. The homeowner called 911, prompting Farrell’s response.
Family attorneys expressed gratitude to the district attorney’s office and said they are seeking accountability for what they described as preventable conduct.