Prosecutors say Glenwood Pysher IV was unarmed with his hands raised when Cpl. Sean Farrell fired; Farrell has since retired.
NORRISTOWN, Pa. — A Pennsylvania police corporal was charged with voluntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old college student who mistakenly went to the wrong home while looking for friends, Montgomery County prosecutors said.
Upper Pottsgrove Township Police Cpl. Sean Farrell, 58, was charged Sept. 1 in the Aug. 23 death of Glenwood Earl “Bubba” Pysher IV. District Attorney Kevin Steele said investigators reviewed Farrell’s body-worn camera footage and concluded the circumstances did not justify deadly force. The charge is an allegation, and Farrell has not been convicted. Farrell surrendered to county detectives and later retired from the police department.
The encounter began after Pysher spent the evening with friends celebrating a 21st birthday, according to prosecutors and the criminal complaint. A designated driver brought the group to a friend’s home around 11 p.m. Pysher left about 30 minutes later and intended to walk roughly half a mile to another friend’s residence. Authorities said he became confused and instead arrived at a home on Snyder Road in Upper Pottsgrove Township.
Investigators said Pysher apparently believed he had reached his friend’s house and went to the rear patio. The residents, awakened by activity outside, called 911 because they believed someone might be trying to enter their home. According to the criminal complaint, Pysher sent his friends a photograph of the house. After they realized he was at the wrong address, he shared his location so they could come get him.
Farrell was the first officer to reach the residence after police were dispatched at about 12:29 a.m., authorities said. Prosecutors said his body camera shows him approaching with his department-issued handgun drawn and taking a position behind a vehicle. Farrell found Pysher near the rear patio, identified himself as a police officer and ordered him to show his hands and get on the ground.
Prosecutors said the recording shows Pysher raise his hands and walk toward Farrell while the officer continued ordering him to the ground. According to the criminal complaint, Farrell fired twice while Pysher was about 17 to 20 feet away. Pysher was unarmed, authorities said. Steele said Farrell was behind cover and had less-lethal equipment available, including a Taser, when he fired. “This is not a legal use of lethal force,” Steele said while announcing the charge.
The investigation also focused on Farrell’s description of what happened immediately before the shooting. Authorities said Farrell told another responding officer that Pysher had charged toward him while yelling and refusing to get on the ground. Steele said investigators concluded that the body-camera footage did not show Pysher charging Farrell, yelling or acting aggressively before he was shot. Prosecutors said Pysher had his hands raised and was following the command to show his hands as he approached.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office later classified Pysher’s death as a homicide. A homicide ruling identifies a death caused by another person and does not, by itself, decide whether a crime occurred or determine criminal responsibility. That question is now part of the case against Farrell, in which prosecutors will have to prove the voluntary manslaughter charge in court.
Pysher had been preparing to attend Saint Elizabeth University in New Jersey and join its baseball team. The university confirmed his plans after his death and said its community was mourning the incoming student-athlete. His family said he had been looking forward to continuing his education and baseball career. Funeral services were held in Pottstown on Aug. 31, one day before prosecutors announced the charge against Farrell.
Farrell turned himself in to Montgomery County detectives after the charge was filed. His bail was set at $75,000, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 10. At that stage, prosecutors are expected to present evidence in an effort to establish that there is sufficient cause for the criminal case to proceed. Farrell will have an opportunity to challenge the prosecution’s evidence and its interpretation of the body-camera recording.
Upper Pottsgrove Township officials suspended Farrell without pay Sept. 1 after the charge was announced. On Sept. 2, Farrell submitted his voluntary retirement from the department, effective immediately, according to township officials. He had served with the Upper Pottsgrove Police Department since May 2005. Officials said the township would continue cooperating with prosecutors and would continue an internal review of relevant police policies, training protocols and field responses.
The criminal case remained pending as of Sept. 2. Prosecutors maintain that Pysher was unarmed and did not pose a threat when Farrell used deadly force, while those allegations have not yet been tested at trial. Farrell’s next publicly reported court proceeding is the preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 10.
Author note: Last updated September 2, 2026.