Upper Pottsgrove Township police officer fatally shot unarmed college student who mistakenly went to wrong house

In the early morning hours of August 23, 2026, Upper Pottsgrove Township Police Cpl. Sean Farrell fatally shot 22-year-old Glenwood Earl Pysher IV on the back patio of a home on Snyder Road in Upper Pottsgrove Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania [1][5]. Pysher, a college baseball player who had recently transferred to Saint Elizabeth University in New Jersey, had been out with friends and was walking to another friend's house nearby when he mistook the address and knocked on the wrong home's back door; the startled homeowners called 911 to report a possible break-in [1][5].

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said Farrell was the first officer to arrive, drew his service weapon, and ordered Pysher — who was unarmed and standing on the patio — to put his hands up and get on the ground [1][2]. Body-worn camera video reviewed by investigators showed Pysher raising his hands and walking toward Farrell, who was positioned 17 to 20 feet away behind a parked car; Farrell shouted "Stop, or I'll—" and fired twice before finishing the sentence, striking Pysher in the chest [3][4]. Steele said Farrell had a taser and a baton on his belt that he did not use, and stated: "This is not a legal use of lethal force" [1][3].

Body-camera audio also captured Farrell telling arriving backup that Pysher had "charged" him and was "screaming and yelling" — an account Steele said the video itself does not support [7].

Updates

2026-09-01 — Montgomery County DA charged Cpl. Sean Farrell with voluntary manslaughter [1][2][3][4]

District Attorney Kevin Steele announced the charge at a news conference, citing the body-camera video and stating the shooting was not a legal use of lethal force. Farrell turned himself in to county detectives; bail was set at 10% of $75,000, with weapons surrendered to Pennsylvania State Police pending a September 10 court hearing.

2026-09-02 — Farrell suspended without pay, then retired from the department [6][7]

Upper Pottsgrove Township officials said Farrell was suspended without pay on September 1 pending disposition of the charges, then voluntarily retired effective September 2 after 21 years as an officer. The department said it would conduct an internal review of its use-of-force policies, training protocols, and response procedures.