NJ College Athlete's Fatal Shooting By Cops Deemed Homicide, Officials Say

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, NJ — A manner of death has been determined with regard to the New Jersey college athlete who was shot dead by police in Pennsylvania this past weekend.

On Sunday, around 12:30 p.m., Glenwood "Bubba" Pysher, 22, was shot and killed by a police officer in Montgomery County, Pa., officials said.

A Montgomery County Office of the Coroner's report revealed that Pysher had been shot twice in the chest, and the manner of death has been deemed homicide.

The coroner's report added that a homicide classification is a "medical determination" that "does not indicate criminal intent or assign legal responsibility."

The Montgomery County Detectives Bureau is leading the investigation into the shooting.

Background

Pysher, a 2023 graduate of Upper Pottsgrove High School, was set to start at Saint Elizabeth University in Morris Township this month. A star catcher, he previously played college ball at Francis Marion University in South Carolina and at Northampton Community College.

Erin Pysher, Bubba's mother, told 6ABC that Pysher had been at a local bar celebrating a friend's birthday Saturday night.

They later decided to move the party to a nearby house, the report states. Pysher went to the house where he thought the party was at, but he got the wrong door, and his knocking caused residents to call police.

At around 12:30 a.m., police were called to Snyder Road over reports of an attempted break-in.

It's not clear exactly what happened next, nor what sparked officers to draw weapons. The district attorney's office said police saw a man behind a home.

"An encounter ensued, and police fired at the male subject, fatally striking the subject," the DA said.

Pysher's family says he was unarmed at the time of the shooting. Law enforcement hasn't clarified one way or the other.

"Bubba was only 23 years old, a promising young man, athlete, and scholar who loved his family dearly," Anthony Napoli wrote in a GoFundMe launched for his family. "Everyone who knew him will remember his love for baseball and the joy he found in catching balls, something that brought so much pride to his father, mother, three sisters, and the entire Pysher family. Bubba meant so much to so many, and his loss has deeply shaken all who loved him."

More than $30,000 had been raised to support the family as of early Tuesday. More than 300 people have donated.

— With reporting from Justin Heinze