In a tragic case that has drawn renewed attention to police use of deadly force in the United States, a veteran Pennsylvania law enforcement officer has been formally charged with voluntary manslaughter for the killing of an unarmed 22-year-old college student who mistakenly arrived at the wrong residence after a night out.
Upper Pottsgrove Police Corporal Sean Farrell, 58, fatally shot Glenwood Earl Pysher in the early hours of August 23, after the young man had gotten lost while heading to a friend’s house following a birthday celebration at local pubs. According to case documents from Montgomery County prosecutors, body camera footage directly contradicts the officer’s post-shooting account of the incident, laying out a clear timeline of the avoidable tragedy.
The chain of events began when Pysher, who was out marking a friend’s 21st birthday, left the bar to walk to the group’s planned after-party, but misread the address and ended up at a private home. After attempting to open the wrong door, the student retreated to the property’s back porch to sit down and reach out to his friends for directions. The confused homeowner contacted 911 to report the suspicious person, and Farrell was dispatched to the scene.
When Farrell arrived, he immediately confronted Pysher on the rear patio, shouting orders for the student to raise his hands and get on the ground. Body camera footage reviewed by investigators confirms that Pysher complied with the first order, lifting both hands fully into the air and began walking toward the officer as instructed. Even as Pysher followed Farrell’s initial direction, the officer repeatedly ordered him to drop to the ground, then fired two shots into the student’s chest before finishing his warning to stop. Prosecutors confirmed that Pysher was approximately 20 feet (6 meters) away from Farrell when the shots were fired — too far to pose an immediate physical threat, investigators found.
In a striking twist, the district attorney’s office confirmed that Farrell had multiple less-lethal force options available on his utility belt the night of the shooting, including a Taser, that he never attempted to use. After the shooting, Farrell told fellow responding officers that Pysher had charged at him while screaming and refusing to comply with orders. But prosecutors say this version of events is completely disproven by the official body camera footage.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele emphasized at a public press conference that the shooting did not meet the legal standard for justifiable use of lethal force. “This is not a legal use of lethal force,” Steele stated plainly.
Farrell turned himself in to authorities this week, with bail set at $75,000. His next court hearing is scheduled for September 10.
In the weeks after their son’s death, Pysher’s parents remembered him as a gentle, kind-hearted young person who was only days away from returning to his college studies. “He was a very caring, loving kid,” they shared in a statement, highlighting the senseless loss of a life cut short by a mistaken turn and a fatal police decision.