Delco Cops Charged With Killing 8-Year-Old Seek Case's Dismissal

SHARON HILL, PA — Attorneys for the three police officers in Delaware County charged in the shooting death of an 8-year-old are seeking to have the manslaughter cases against them dismissed.

Three Sharon Hill officers — Brian James Devaney, 41, Sean Patrick Dolan, 25, and Devon E. Smith, 34 — fired their guns toward Academy Park High School's football field after they heard shots following a game in Aug. 2021, authorities said.

Gunfire struck and killed 8-year-old Fanta Bility and hurt four others.

A grand jury recommended a slew of charges against the trio, including voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, and reckless endangerment charges.

Their attorneys say that because the prosecution can't prove which bullet the fatal shot came from, the manslaughter charges should be dismissed, according to NBC Philadelphia.

These specific charges were recommended by a grand jury which investigated the use of force by officers in the incident.

Bility's family and supporters with the group U.D.T.J. have rallied for a sharper response from local law enforcment. They claim that a private follow-up investigation has been completed, but that it has not been released to the Bility family or the public.

Meanwhile, they say, Dolan has applied to work at a different Delaware County police department.

"There are growing concerns that the Sharon Hill officers responsible for Fanta’s death will be able to walk," the U.D.T.J. group said in a statement. "Dolan would not have the audacity to submit an application with another police department if he was not confident that he will walk, or that his sentencing will not be as severe."

Exact dates for further hearings have not yet been set.

With reporting from Patch correspondent Max Bennett