Police corporal charged with manslaughter in shooting of unarmed man in Upper Pottsgrove

UPPER POTTSGROVE, Pa. - Upper Pottsgrove Township Police Corporal Sean Farrell was arraigned and bail was set at $75,000, after being charged with voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of 22-year-old Glenwood Pysher IV, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele.

What we know:

Investigators say Farrell fired two shots, killing Pysher around 12:30 a.m. on August 22. Prosecutors allege Pysher ended up on the back patio of a house after a night of drinking while celebrating a friend's 21st birthday and mistakenly walked to the wrong home.

Corporal Farrell's body camera footage shows Pysher with his hands in the air at the time he was shot, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office. "This is not a legal use of lethal force under Pennsylvania law and I am obligated under the law to charge Sean Farrell with voluntary manslaughter," said Steele.

Timeline:

Investigators say a 911 call was made alerting police to Pysher's presence on the property. 

When Farrell arrived, he reportedly announced himself as police and ordered Pysher to show his hands and get on the ground.

"Pysher raised his hands in the air, clearly visible and began to walk towards Corporal Farrell. Farrell again yelled ‘drop to the ground’ as Pysher continued to walk toward him in the driveway," said Steele. 

Farrell then fired twice, striking Pysher in the chest.

What they're saying:

"There was a tremendous outpouring of about 1500 people or so which was great support for the family to see," said Ken Fulginiti, attorney for the Pysher family. 

He also said the family took comfort in learning their son complied with police commands: "They were glad to hear that their son did what they would expect he would have done when approached by a police officer was comply."

Steele said the body camera footage does not support Farrell's account that Pysher had "charged" at him: "Corporal Farrell told the officer and I’m quoting, from the body camera, the guy f------ (expletive) charged me screaming and yelling and wouldn’t get down on the ground...the body worn camera does not depict Pysher charging."

Fulginiti said the family questions why the situation escalated so quickly, considering the officer was "behind a car, who was 17 to 20 feet away from Glenwood friends call him Bubba, when he was 17 to 20 feet away, he had his hands in the air and wasn't doing anything threatening to anyone and he was simply complying so they certainly have more questions as to why when the person had a baton, the officer had a baton and taser, why in minutes it escalated to this."

What we don't know:

Authorities have not released further details about the internal police review or whether additional charges or actions may follow. The precise sequence of commands and responses leading up to the fatal shots also remains under investigation.