A 22-year-old college student was fatally shot by police in Pennsylvania after his family says a wrong turn at the end of a birthday celebration brought him to someone else’s house.
Glenn “Bubba” Pysher had been out with friends at a bar in Upper Pottsgrove on Saturday night before the group decided to continue the celebration at a nearby house. His mother, Erin Pysher, told CBS News that her son walked there alone and became mixed up in the wooded area.
Instead of reaching his friend’s house, Pysher ended up at another home. His family says he knocked on the door believing his friends were inside. The people who actually lived there called 911 to report an attempted break-in.
Police arrived early Sunday and encountered Pysher behind the home. The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said an encounter followed and Pysher was shot and killed. What happened during that encounter, including why the officer opened fire, has not been publicly explained.
Wrong Address
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Pysher’s mother gave 6ABC Action News the family’s account of how her son arrived at the wrong home.
“He ended up at the wrong house after having a few drinks. He didn’t know that,” she said.
According to Erin Pysher, her son was knocking and calling to be let inside because he thought he had reached his friend’s house.
The couple inside the home was startled and called 911 shortly after midnight.
Erin Pysher told CBS News that the family has records showing her son was still speaking with his friends by phone at 12:32 a.m. She believes police had arrived and shot him by 12:35 a.m.
She also said her son was unarmed. In her interview with Action News, she said he had a cellphone and a backpack.
Those details come from Pysher’s family. Police have not released an account describing what Pysher did when an officer encountered him or what led to the use of deadly force.
Behind The House
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office has said police found Pysher behind the home and that an encounter occurred before he was shot.
There may be a recording of what happened next.
Action News reported that surveillance cameras installed in the backyard recorded the encounter and that the footage is being used as part of the investigation. The station was not given access to the recordings.
The Upper Pottsgrove Police Department has not publicly provided further details explaining the shooting. The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office is handling the investigation into why the officer opened fire.
Pysher’s parents are now waiting for that explanation.
“I just want things to be done right,” his father, Glenwood Pysher, told CBS News. “I want to know the facts.”
Monday Morning
Pysher had recently transferred to Saint Elizabeth University in New Jersey and was preparing to play baseball there.
His mother described him to Action News as a “lovable goofball” who would walk through the back door at home and announce, “Hey mom, your favorite kid is home.”
“He was just happy-go-lucky,” she said.
The timing left the family with another plan that would never happen.
Erin Pysher told CBS News that she had expected to take her son to school and help him set up his dorm room.
He was supposed to start classes Monday.