Pennsylvania police officer charged after fatally shooting student at wrong home

A Pennsylvania police officer has been charged with voluntary manslaughter after fatally shooting a 22-year-old college student who had knocked on the wrong door.

Upper Pottsgrove Police Cpl. Sean Farrell shot Glenwood Earl Pysher IV twice on Aug. 23, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele announced. Pysher had been drinking at a bar with friends before walking to a friend’s house. He mistakenly went to another home, and the residents reported a break-in.

According to the criminal complaint, Pysher sent his friends a photo of the house and then shared his location after they realized the mistake. Before they arrived to pick him up, Farrell found Pysher on a back patio. Officials said Pysher had no weapon. Farrell carried a Taser and baton but went directly to his pistol, Steele and the complaint said.

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This is not a legal use of lethal force.

Body-camera footage showed Farrell ordering Pysher to raise his hands and get on the ground. The complaint said Pysher raised his hands and walked toward Farrell, who repeated the order twice. Farrell then yelled, "stop or I'll-" and fired before finishing the sentence. Pysher stood about 17 to 20 feet away, according to the complaint.

Steele said the video did not support Farrell’s later account that Pysher had charged at him. "The young man has his hands up, he does not have a weapon, he did not charge or act aggressively, he was not a threat to the homeowners, he was inebriated but listening to commands about putting his hands up," Steele said. "He's not trying to escape or didn't commit a forcible felony." The complaint alleges Farrell used deadly force without considering less-lethal options. Pysher’s parents described him as a good young man loved by his community.

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The young man has his hands up, he does not have a weapon, he did not charge or act aggressively, he was not a threat to the homeowners, he was inebriated but listening to commands about putting his hands up.