Three Pennsylvania police officers have been charged with manslaughter and reckless endangerment after an 8-year-old girl tragically died when they fired their weapons outside a high school football game.
The grand jury recommended the charges against Sharon Hill Police officers Brian Devaney, Sean Dolan, and Devon Smith after the shooting incident took the life of Fanta Bility, 8, and left three other people injured.
Each cop was charged with 10 counts of reckless endangerment and one count of manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter.
Bruce Castor, the lawyer representing the girl’s family, thanked the Delaware County district attorney and his prosecutors and said: “They made the right call.”
According to investigators, 19-year-old Hasein Strand and 18-year-old Angelo ‘AJ’ Ford got into a heated argument and exchanged gunfire outside the football game.
The cops monitoring the crowd responded but fired their weapons toward a car they thought was involved in the gunfire.
“I fully realize that the tragic death of Fanta and the trauma inflicted on her family, the other victims, and community members involved, has been emotionally draining to all, including the investigators and prosecutors assigned,” Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said in a press release.
“No one touched by this incident will ever be the same. I hope that today’s announcement will help the community begin to heal through the knowledge that all the individuals who fired guns that night are being held accountable for their actions under our laws.”
On Tuesday, Stollsteimer’s office announced that the murder charges against Strand and Ford were being withdrawn.
“While I believe these defendants should be held accountable for starting the series of events that ultimately led to Fanta Bility’s death, developments during the grand jury investigation render it appropriate to withdraw these charges at this time,” Stollsteimer wrote.
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