A 22-year-old college student killed by Pennsylvania police responding to a possible burglary had just realized he was at the wrong home and was waiting for friends to come get him when he was shot, his father said Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Police in Upper Pottsgrove Township, 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’s 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’s 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’s friends, Pysher believes his son mistakenly tried to enter what he thought was his friend’s house. His son wasn’t carrying any weapons, just a phone and backpack containing clothing and a few beers, he said.<\/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’s 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 set out to 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 a.m. So what kind of encounter could have ensued? What kind of communication could that officer have given him?\u201d<\/p>\n
A Montgomery County Department of Public Safety dispatch record shows police were dispatched at 12:30 a.m. and arrived at 12:34 a.m. Upper Pottsgrove Township Police Chief Al Werner declined to release any information, including the names of any officers involved, until the investigation is complete. The Montgomery County Detective Bureau is investigating the shooting, the district attorney\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n