NJ-bound baseball player had his hands up when Pa. cop shot him

☑️A Pennsylvania officer now faces a voluntary manslaughter charge

☑️Prosecutors say Glenwood Pysher had his hands in the air when he was shot

☑️ The 23-year-old was headed to NJ's Saint Elizabeth University to play baseball

The Pennsylvania police officer who shot a New Jersey-bound college student was charged with voluntary manslaughter after an investigation and body-camera footage gave prosecutors a clearer view of what happened.

Glenwood "Bubba" Earl Pysher IV, 23, was out with friends visiting several bars in Upper Pittsgrove during the evening of Aug. 22 before they went their separate ways after midnight.

Based on what he has been told by his son's friends, Pysher's father believes his son mistakenly tried to enter what he thought was his friend's house. The homeowner called police.

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said a call came from the home around 12:30 a.m. One of the responding officers had an "encounter" with Pysher and fired a shot. The future member of the Saint Elizabeth University baseball team in Morristown was dead.

ALSO READ: A South Jersey town becomes Tuesday's storm bullseye

Glenwood “Bubba” Pysher IV

Body camera shows Pysher with his hands up

After reviewing body-camera footage from Upper Pittsgrove police Cpl. Sean Farrell, Steele charged the officer with voluntary manslaughter.

Steele said Farrell had several "less-lethal options" on his utility belt that he did not use, including a Taser.

The video showed Farrell ordering Pysher to put his hands up. Pysher complied and put his hands in the air.

Farrell repeated the order while walking toward Pysher and then ordered him to drop to the ground. Farrell told him to stop walking and, mid-sentence, fired two shots.

.Pysher was 17 to 20 feet away from Farrell when he was fatally shot

Prosecutor says deadly force was not justified

"As the District Attorney, it is my role under the law to evaluate the totality of the circumstances of any fatal shooting by police and to determine whether that use of lethal force was justified under the law," Steele said.

"At the time of the shooting, the officer was a safe distance from Pysher behind a car, and the victim had his hands in the air and did not possess any type of weapon. Mr. Pysher was not a threat. This is not a legal use of deadly force, leading to the charge of voluntary manslaughter."

Farrell was arraigned Wednesday by a judge who set bail at $75,000, 10%. He must turn in all weapons to the Pennsylvania State Police.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 10.

Pysher was going to play baseball at Saint Elizabeth University in New Jersey this season. The first day of class at the school was the day after the shooting.

(Includes material Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom