A 22-year-old man fatally shot by police in Pennsylvania as they responded to a possible burglary was a kind-hearted college student who mistakenly went to the wrong home after celebrating a friend\u2019s birthday, his father said Wednesday. <\/p>\n
Police in Upper Pottsgrove Township, about 45 miles (70 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia, responded around 12:30 a.m. Sunday to a 911 call about a possible break-in attempt, according to the Montgomery County district attorney\u2019s office. The office said in a statement that police found Glenwood Pysher IV at the rear of the home and ultimately shot and killed him.<\/p>\n
Pysher\u2019s father, Glen Pysher, said his son and his friends had visited several bars earlier in the evening and were splitting up to spend the night in two homes when his son took a wrong turn in the woods. Based on what he has been told by his son\u2019s friends, Pysher believes his son mistakenly tried to enter what he thought was his friend\u2019s house.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe tried to open the doorknob and obviously startled the homeowner,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom what we understand, he announced, \u2018Hey! Open the door!\u2019 because he thought he was at his friend\u2019s house.\u201d <\/p>\n
Pysher then sat down on the back porch and contacted his friends, who realized he was in the wrong place and started to go find him. But minutes later, they saw police and emergency vehicles and figured their friend would be arrested for public drunkenness. Instead, he was shot. <\/p>\n
\u201cAt 12:32 a.m. my son was on a FaceTime call with his friends that were coming to get him,\u201d he said. \u201cWe were told that my son was shot at 12:35 p.m. So what kind of encounter could have ensued? What kind of communication could that officer have given him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Upper Pottsgrove Township Police Chief Al Werner declined to release any information, including the names of any officers involved in the shooting, until the investigation is complete. The Montgomery County Detective Bureau is investigating the shooting, the district attorney\u2019s office said. <\/p>\n
Pysher was about to begin his senior year at St. Elizabeth University in New Jersey, where he planned to play baseball. His goal was to become a high school history teacher and coach after graduation.<\/p>\n
His father described him as a loving kid who could be a \u201cknucklehead\u201d but enjoyed helping others. Since the shooting, former teammates, coaches and others have been texting his father to share heartbreaking memories.<\/p>\n