MEDIA, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Three former Sharon Hill police officers were sentenced Friday for their role in the 2021 shooting death of 8-year-old Fanta Bility.
Delaware County Judge Margaret Amoroso sentenced former officers Sean Dolan, 26, Brian Devaney, 43, and Devon Smith, 35, to five years of probation each, with the first 11 months to be served under house arrest. She pointed to the difficult facts of the case, saying some will feel her sentence was too harsh, while others would feel it’s not harsh enough.
Following the sentencing, members of Fanta’s family not only told the former officers they forgive them, but gave them hugs.
“We forgive, but we will never forget Fanta Bility,” said Tenneh Kromah, Fanta’s mother.
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer called Fanta’s family some of the best people he’s ever met.
“These wonderful people were able to do something I'm not sure, quite frankly, I would be able to do, which is to forgive people who even tragically mistakenly took my child's life,” Stollsteimer said.
On Aug. 27, 2021, Dolan, Devaney and Smith were near the entrance of the Academy Park High School football stadium. As the crowd left the game, there were gunshots about a block from the stadium. That’s when the officers opened fire at a car they mistakenly thought was involved in that shooting.
Investigators later found no shots were fired from that car, and the initial gunfire actually came from two teens shooting at each other near the entrance of the field.
Four people, including Fanta, were shot. Authorities say she was struck by one of the officer’s bullets, but it is not clear which one.
In November, the officers pleaded guilty to 10 counts of reckless endangerment, with voluntary manslaughter taken off the table.
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