The 22-year-old college baseball player was unarmed, his family says, as county detectives investigate why officers opened fire.
UPPER POTTSGROVE, PA — A 22-year-old man was fatally shot by police early Sunday after mistakenly going to a stranger’s house while trying to reach a friend’s home, his family said, leaving county detectives to determine what prompted officers to fire.
Glenwood “Bubba” Pysher was killed after Upper Pottsgrove Township police responded to a Snyder Road home at 12:29 a.m. Aug. 23 for a report of a possible attempted break-in. Police found a man behind the house, and authorities said an encounter followed before officers fired. Pysher’s family identified him as the man who was killed and said he was unarmed. The Montgomery County Detective Bureau is investigating the shooting under the county’s procedure for police-involved shootings. Authorities have not publicly explained what happened during the encounter or what caused officers to use deadly force.
Pysher had spent Saturday night celebrating a friend’s birthday at a local bar before the gathering shifted to the friend’s home, according to his mother, Erin Pysher. She said her son chose to walk and mistakenly arrived at another house after drinking. “He ended up at the wrong house after having a few drinks,” she said. Pysher apparently believed he had reached his friend’s home and knocked on the door asking to be let inside. The people who lived there did not know him and called 911 after becoming alarmed. Authorities described the original call as a report of a possible attempted break-in. Erin Pysher said her son was speaking with friends by phone at about 12:32 a.m. She believes he had been shot by about 12:35 a.m., placing the fatal confrontation only minutes after police were dispatched. County officials have not released a detailed timeline showing when officers arrived or how long the encounter lasted.
Police said officers located a man at the rear of the Snyder Road property after responding to the 911 call. The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office initially said an encounter occurred and police fired, fatally striking the man. Officials have not said whether officers gave commands, whether Pysher moved toward an officer or away from one, or whether there was any physical struggle before the shooting. The identity of the officer or officers who fired has also not been released. Pysher’s mother said her son had no weapon and was carrying a cellphone and a backpack. She also told local news outlets that he was shot twice. Authorities have not publicly confirmed those details. Surveillance cameras at the home recorded at least part of the encounter in the backyard, according to the family and local reporting. That recording is being reviewed by investigators, but the footage had not been publicly released as of Tuesday morning.
The shooting came just as Pysher was preparing for a new school year and another season of college baseball. His family said he had recently transferred to Saint Elizabeth University in New Jersey and was expected to begin classes and play baseball there. He had been looking forward to returning to school, relatives and friends said. Family members described Pysher as an upbeat young man who was devoted to baseball and close to his relatives. A family friend said he was well respected and had not been known for getting into trouble. His mother called him a “lovable goofball” who often entered the family home with a joke about being her favorite child. Those descriptions have sharpened the family’s questions about how a mistaken address and a late-night call about a possible break-in ended with deadly police gunfire only minutes later.
The investigation is now centered on the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, which responds to and reviews police-involved shootings in the county. District Attorney Kevin R. Steele’s office announced the investigation after the shooting Sunday. Detectives are expected to examine the 911 call, police communications, statements from the residents and responding officers, physical evidence from the property and available video. The backyard surveillance recording could become a central piece of evidence because officials have released few details about the confrontation itself. Authorities have not announced criminal charges against anyone, and the investigation remains at a fact-finding stage. No public hearing, news conference or date for releasing additional findings had been announced by Tuesday morning. Investigators also have not said whether body-worn camera video exists or will be released. Any determination about whether the officer’s use of force was legally justified will depend on evidence showing what officers encountered and perceived in the moments before shots were fired.
For Pysher’s family, the unanswered seconds between the officer’s arrival and the gunfire have become the focus of their grief. His mother said he had been carrying only his phone and backpack, while a family friend questioned whether the encounter could have ended differently. “What happened? Could it have been de-escalated?” the friend said. Those questions remain unanswered because investigators have not provided an account of Pysher’s actions immediately before the shooting. The residents who made the 911 call have not been publicly identified, and there is no indication that they knew Pysher before he arrived at their home. The available accounts agree that the residents were startled by a stranger at their property and sought police help. They also agree that police encountered Pysher behind the residence. What remains unknown is the most important part of the case: what occurred between that encounter and the officers’ decision to fire.
As of Aug. 25, the Montgomery County Detective Bureau continued to investigate Pysher’s death. Authorities had not identified the officer involved or released the surveillance recording, and no official explanation had been given for the gunfire. The next major development is expected to come when county investigators release additional evidence or findings.
Author note: Last updated August 25, 2026.