Glenwood Pysher Shooting: Student Killed by Police in Upper Pottsgrove Township

Family says 22-year-old had mistaken the home for a friend's house

UPPER POTTSGROVE TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania — A 22-year-old college student was shot and killed by police early Sunday after officers responded to a report of a possible attempted break-in, with his father saying the student had realized he was at the wrong house and was waiting for friends to pick him up.

The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said Upper Pottsgrove Township police were sent to a home at about 12:30 a.m. after a 911 caller reported a possible burglary attempt. Officers encountered Glenwood Pysher IV at the rear of the residence and ultimately shot him, according to the office. Pysher died from his injuries.

Pysher's father, Glen Pysher, said his son had spent the evening visiting several bars with friends. The group had planned to divide between two homes for the night, but his son became separated after taking a wrong turn through the woods, the father said.

Based on information relayed by the friends, the father said Pysher apparently approached the wrong residence believing it belonged to a friend. He said his son tried the doorknob and called out for someone to open the door, apparently unaware that he had arrived at the wrong house.

Glen Pysher said his son was unarmed and had only a phone and a backpack containing clothes and a few beers. After recognizing the mistake, Pysher sat on the rear porch and contacted friends, who began heading to the location to collect him, his father said.

At 12:32 a.m., Pysher was on a FaceTime call with friends who were coming to get him, his father said. The family was told he was shot at 12:35 a.m. A Montgomery County Department of Public Safety dispatch record showed police were dispatched at 12:30 a.m. and arrived at 12:34 a.m.

“So what kind of encounter could have ensued? What kind of communication could that officer have given him?” Glen Pysher said, questioning what happened in the brief period after officers reached the home.

Detectives investigating fatal Upper Pottsgrove Township police shooting

Upper Pottsgrove Township Police Chief Al Werner has not released information about the encounter or identified the officers involved, saying details would not be made public until the investigation is complete. The Montgomery County Detective Bureau is leading the investigation, the district attorney's office said.

The case differs from recent nationally reported incidents in which residents have shot people who mistakenly arrived at their homes. In this case, the fatal gunfire was fired by police responding to a report of a possible break-in, making the timeline of officers' contact with Pysher central to the investigation.

Pysher was preparing to begin his senior year at Saint Elizabeth University in New Jersey, where he planned to play baseball. His father said he hoped to become a high school history teacher and coach after graduating.

Friends, former teammates and coaches have contacted the family since the shooting, Glen Pysher said. He described his son as caring and eager to help others, recalling a message from a young man who said Pysher had helped him change the direction of his life.

The father said the family has received little information from authorities. He said he asked Wednesday to retrieve his son's favorite black shoes for burial, but was later told officials still needed to decide whether they could be released. The Montgomery County Detective Bureau investigation remains ongoing, and no further details about the shooting have been publicly released.