UPPER POTTSGROVE, Pa. — A 22-year-old man was fatally shot by an Upper Pottsgrove Township police officer early Sunday after authorities responded to a 911 call about a possible break-in at a home on Snyder Road.
The man was identified as Glenwood Earl Pysher IV, known to family and friends as “Bubba.” According to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, police were called to the residence at about 12:29 a.m. on Aug. 23. Officers found Pysher at the rear of the property, where an encounter followed and police fired their weapons, fatally striking him.
Pysher’s family says he had mistakenly gone to the house while trying to reach a friend after spending the evening celebrating a friend’s birthday. His mother, Erin Pysher, said he had been drinking and apparently became confused about the location in the dark.
According to his family, Pysher believed he had reached his friend’s home and knocked on the door asking to be let inside. The couple who lived at the residence became alarmed and called 911, according to multiple reports.
His mother has said Pysher was on the phone with friends shortly before the shooting and that, from the family’s understanding, he was not carrying a weapon. She said he had a cellphone and a backpack.
Authorities have not publicly explained what happened during the encounter that led officers to open fire. The Upper Pottsgrove Township Police Department has referred questions about the shooting to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
The Montgomery County Detective Bureau is leading the investigation, and officials have said the case remains under review. Surveillance cameras at the property reportedly captured the encounter, and the footage is being examined as part of the investigation.
Pysher’s death came just days before he was expected to return to college. He had recently transferred to Saint Elizabeth University in New Jersey, where he was preparing for his senior year and another season of college baseball. He had previously played baseball at Northampton Community College.
His family remembers him not only as an athlete but as someone who was deeply connected to those around him. Erin Pysher described her son as a happy, easygoing young man and recalled how he would come through the family’s back door saying, “Mom, your favorite kid is home.”
The circumstances surrounding the shooting have not yet been fully established publicly. Investigators are expected to review the available evidence, including surveillance footage, as they work to determine what happened during the brief encounter between Pysher and police.
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office has said it will provide an update when the investigation is completed.
