NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — An Upper Pottsgrove police officer has been charged in the shooting death of an unarmed 22-year-old man.
According to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele at a press conference on Wednesday, Cpl. Sean Farrell has been charged with voluntary manslaughter, after investigators said he shot and killed Glenwood Pysher IV on Aug. 23.
It was around 12:30 a.m. when police were called to a home on Snyder Road in Upper Pottsgrove Township over a possible break-in. However, it turned out that Pysher, known to his friends and family as Bubba, had been out with friends celebrating someone’s 21st birthday.
The group had gotten a ride back, but somehow, he was separated from his friends, got confused, ended up at the wrong home and banged on the door. The homeowner called the police.
Farrell, 58, arrived on the scene. He walked down the driveway with his service weapon drawn and saw Pysher on the back patio, several feet from the door. Based on the body camera video, Steele said, the 22-year-old was clearly intoxicated but complying with orders. In the video, Farrell yelled, “Police, let me see your hands,” then yelled, “Hands up, hands up now, drop to the ground.”
The video wasn’t shown during the press conference, but according to Steele, Pysher could be seen raising his hands in the air, clearly visible as he approached Farrell. The officer again yelled at Pysher to stop and drop to the ground, then began to yell “Stop or I’ll…” Prior to finishing the command, he opened fire, hitting Pysher twice in the chest from about 17 to 20 feet away.
Steele said Farrell was caught on the video telling an arriving officer, “The guy … charged me screaming and yelling and wouldn’t get down on the ground.”
However, the district attorney added that at no point in the body cam video did Pysher yell or scream, or show any threat toward Farrell or the homeowner.
Pysher was preparing to start his senior year at Saint Elizabeth College in New Jersey. He planned to become a teacher and baseball coach after graduation.
Steele said Farrell was charged with voluntary manslaughter as opposed to third-degree murder because it was determined there was no “malice” involved in the shooting, resulting in the slightly lesser charge. He was arraigned Wednesday afternoon.
Federal court records showed Farrell was a defendant in cases that settled involving misconduct during arrests. In recent years, he also received a commendation for saving two lives in as many weeks.
Authorities say Cpl. Sean Farrell is caught on video shooting the 22-year-old, who was unarmed with hands in the air
Authorities say Cpl. Sean Farrell is caught on video shooting the 22-year-old, who was unarmed with hands in the air
