UPPER POTTSGROVE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Glenwood Earl Pysher IV, a 22-year-old college student and baseball player, has been identified as the man fatally shot by an Upper Pottsgrove Township police officer early Sunday morning.
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said officers were dispatched to a home on Snyder Road at about 12:29 a.m. on Aug. 23 after a 911 call reported a possible attempted break-in.
When officers arrived, they found Pysher behind the residence. Authorities said an encounter followed and police fired at him, fatally striking him.
The district attorney’s office has not publicly released a detailed account of what happened immediately before the shooting or explained what prompted the officer to fire. The Montgomery County Detective Bureau is leading the investigation, which remains ongoing.
Family Says Pysher Went to the Wrong House
Pysher’s family has offered a different account of why he was at the property.
His mother, Erin Pysher, told that her son mistakenly went to the wrong house after spending the evening with friends. She said he believed the Snyder Road residence belonged to people he knew.
According to his mother, Pysher had been celebrating a friend’s birthday before the group planned to continue the evening at a friend’s home. She said he became confused in the dark and ended up at the wrong address.
Erin Pysher said her son was communicating with friends by phone shortly before the shooting and believed he was trying to reach them so they could let him inside.
The family has also said Pysher was unarmed. That detail has not been independently confirmed by investigators in the information publicly released so far.
Authorities have provided few details about the encounter itself. A reported that surveillance cameras at the home recorded the incident and that the footage was being reviewed as part of the investigation.
Pysher Was Preparing for His Senior Baseball Season
Outside of the circumstances surrounding his death, Pysher was remembered by his family as a young man preparing for his final year of college baseball.
He had previously played baseball at Northampton Community College before transferring to Saint Elizabeth University in New Jersey. His family said he planned to continue playing baseball while studying to become a history teacher.
Pysher had recently celebrated his 22nd birthday on Aug. 10. His mother said he was preparing to begin the new school year when his life was cut short.
“He just turned 22 on the 10th,” Erin Pysher told reporters. “He was supposed to start school and go to college. He was supposed to play baseball and live his life.”
Investigation Continues
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office has said the investigation into the officer-involved shooting is continuing. The detective bureau is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the encounter and the events that led to the fatal gunfire.
As of the latest available information, authorities have not released a complete public account of the shooting or announced any conclusions about the officer’s actions.
The investigation is expected to provide additional information as authorities review evidence and determine what happened in the moments leading up to Pysher’s death.
