A tragic incident unfolded in Pennsylvania when a college baseball player was mistakenly shot by police after trying to enter the wrong home following an evening out, according to his family.
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, led by Kevin R. Steele, has confirmed to News Media that 22-year-old Glenwood “Bubba” Pysher IV lost his life on Sunday, August 23.
Authorities report that shortly after midnight on Sunday, a 911 call alerted officers to a potential break-in at a Snyder Road residence. The Upper Pottsgrove Township Police swiftly responded to the scene.
Allegedly returning from a night out at a bar with friends, Pysher was fatally shot, as reported by his family. (Erin Pysher)
According to the district attorney’s office, when police arrived, they discovered “a male in the rear of the residence.”
They said police shot and killed him after an “encounter.”
Pysher was a college baseball player who had made stops at Francis Marion University, Northampton Community College and Holy Family University, and was preparing for his senior year at St. Elizabeth College in New Jersey, according to his obituary.
His mother, Erin Pysher, told News Media her son was not armed when he was allegedly “shot twice” by an officer.
“He’s never been in trouble—he was a good kid. I don’t know what prompted the cop to think that the shooting was necessary,” she said.
Before he was fatally shot, he was “bar-hopping with friends” and walked up to a home on the street he had mistaken for a friend’s and tried to get in, his mother said.
Glenwood “Bubba” Pysher, center, is pictured with his parents, Glen and Erin, at Pottsgrove High School in 2022. (Pottsgrove School District)
“I dropped him off with his friends at a bar to celebrate his friend’s 21st birthday,” she said. After the bar, the men were headed to a friend’s house to continue their evening.
The friends eventually split up, Pysher said. She told News Media her son opted to walk to the house.
“He took a wrong turn and ended up at the wrong house,” she said.
“After a few drinks, he didn’t realize it—he was at their back door knocking, thinking it was his friend’s house, saying, ‘Hey, let me in,'” Erin Pysher said. “The homeowners, not knowing, called the cops saying it was an attempted burglary.”
“He was the biggest sweetheart—carefree and loving. He loved life, loved hanging out with his friends, and fishing. Baseball was his life; he played it in college and was getting ready to leave Sunday afternoon to start his senior year. He wanted to become a history teacher and coach baseball,” she said.
The Upper Pottsgrove Police Department in Pennsylvania. (Google Maps)
The police department confirmed the officer involved was placed on administrative leave following the incident.
The DA’s office told News Media, “The fatal shooting is an active investigation. When the investigation is complete, we will provide media with the findings.”
“He was a great kid; I couldn’t ask for a better son. A little jokester—we had our inside jokes, and he loved teasing his three younger sisters. There’s a huge hole in our life without him. He was the best kid ever; I don’t know how else to describe him,” Erin Pysher said.