Father says college student was killed by police in Pennsylvania after
he went to wrong house
[August 27, 2026]
By HOLLY RAMER and KATE BRUMBACK
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.
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.
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.
“He tried to open the doorknob and obviously startled the homeowner,” he
said. “From what we understand, he announced, ‘Hey! Open the door!’
because he thought he was at his friend's house.”
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.
“At 12:32 a.m. my son was on a FaceTime call with his friends that were
coming to get him,” he said. “We 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?”
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’s office said.
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This undated photo provided by Erin Pysher shows Glenwood Pysher IV,
who was fatally shot by police in Upper Pottsgrove Township, Penn.
on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (Erin Pysher via AP)
The shooting by police checking a report of a possible break-in is
sharply distinguished from several other cases in which residents have
shot people who mistakenly showed up at their homes.
Pysher was about to begin his senior year at Saint Elizabeth University
in New Jersey, where he planned to play baseball. His goal was to become
a high school history teacher and coach after graduation.
His father described him as a kindhearted, loving kid who could be a
“knucklehead” but enjoyed helping others. Since the shooting, former
teammates, coaches and others have been texting his father to share
their memories of him.
“One young man in particular texted me and said, ‘I was going through a
lot of really difficult things in my life. I was going the wrong way.
And your son is the one who helped me put my life on track,’" the father
said. “He will be sadly missed in his community.”
Pysher said police have given the family almost no information. On
Wednesday, he called asking whether he could retrieve his son's favorite
pair of black shoes to bury him in and was told that could be arranged.
“Then I got a call back saying they have to think about it,” he said.
“They don't know if they can give them to me.”
____
Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire, and Brumback from Atlanta
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