First Court Appearance Set For Montco Officer Who Shot, Killed College Baseball Player: DA

UPPER POTTSGROVE, PA — The Montgomery County police officer who the district attorney said shot and killed a college baseball player who was lost and looking for his friends will make his first appearance in court this week.

Upper Pottsgrove's Corporal Sean Farrell, 58, was charged with voluntary manslaughter following an eight day investigation by county authorities.

Subscribe

Farrell will appear before Magisterial District Judge Scott T. Palladino at 11:30 a.m. Thursday for a preliminary hearing.

The investigation determined that Farrell was the first officer to arrive to the Snyder Road scene that night, Aug. 23, after local residents had called 911 over a suspected a break-in.

It turned that Glen Pysher, 22, a college baseball player who had been out celebrating with his friends, was simply at the wrong house.

Police said Farrell walked down the driveway of the home with his firearm drawn, using the gun-mounted light to see.

He spotted Pysher standing on the cement patio of the home, several feet from the back door entrance, police said.

"Police, let me see your hands," Farrell yelled, according to the DA's report. "Hands up, hands up now, drop to the ground."

Pysher can be seen on Farrell's body camera footage raising his hands.

"Drop to the ground," Farrell yelled again, the DA said. "Drop to the ground, stop or I'll..."

The footage shows that Farrell never finished his sentence. Pysher was still about 20 feet away when Farrell opened fire, the DA said.

"At the time of the shooting, the officer was a safe distance from Pysher behind a car, and the victim had his hands in the air and did not possess any type of weapon," DA Kevin Steele said. "Mr. Pysher was not a threat."

Even if Pysher had posed a threat, Steele noted that Farrell had non-lethal options on his belt, including a taser, which he did not use.

Farrell turned himself in to county detectives when charges were announced on Sept. 1. He was released on 10 percent of $75,000 bail.