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Three former Sharon Hill police officers who opened fire after a high school football game in August 2021, killing 8-year-old Fanta Bility and injuring three others, pleaded guilty Thursday to reckless endangerment during a hearing packed with media.
In January, Delaware County Judge Margaret J. Brian Devaney, 42, Sean Dolan, 26, and Devon Smith, 35, remain free on bail pending Amoroso’s sentencing.
Their pleas, negotiated with the district attorney’s office, mean more serious charges such as manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter will be dismissed.
Lawyers for the officers, who were fired days after their arrests, had for months called for the manslaughter charges to be dismissed. The officers were responding to a shooting nearby, and they said they fired the gun that day and did not intend to kill the child or harm anyone other than those involved in the earlier shooting. Lawyers also said the officers were unfairly targeted for prosecution because of their profession.
» Read more: What to know about Fanta bility shooting
Amoroso declined to dismiss the manslaughter charges in September, setting the stage for a mistrial.
Thursday’s plea was an appropriate conclusion to the criminal case, Deputy District Attorney Douglas Rhodes said during the hearing in consultation with Fanta’s family. The Bility family has publicly demanded justice and accountability for the child’s death.
After the hearing, his voice cracking with emotion, Fanta’s uncle, Abu Bility, said, “The hurt caused by Sharon Hill Borough and its police department has overwhelmed our family with overwhelming grief.”
He said the family is still dealing with the loss of Fanta, and the plea deal is an opportunity to find closure amid their grief.
“It’s critical for our family to begin the healing process, and this won’t happen while this matter is on hold,” he said. “Therefore, after prayer and discussion with our family, we have decided that it is in our best interest for the District Attorney to ensure that the police officers take responsibility for their actions and acknowledge their reckless conduct.”
Attorneys for the former officials did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.
Fanta was struck by one of 25 bullets fired by Devaney, Dolan and Smith as dozens of people left an exhibition game between Academy Park High School and Pennsbury. She attended the game with her family to see her older sister Mawatha’s debut performance as a cheerleader.
She died in the arms of her mother, Tenna Chroma, amidst the chaos of trampling onlookers trying to find safety.
» Read more: One year after Fanta Bility’s death, her family mourns the loss of a vibrant child too soon
Devaney, Dolan and Smith declined to testify before a grand jury to investigate the shooting. But affidavits from their colleagues shed light on what happened that night: The trio, stationed near the stadium’s exit and watching the crowd, heard gunshots a block away. They mistakenly believed that the source of the shots was a Chevrolet Impala that pulled up in front of them outside the stadium and that the occupants of the car were firing at them.
The officers’ bullets ricocheted off the vehicle, shattering its windows and dislodging them from their frames. One of those stray shots flew beyond the car into the crowd, where it hit Fanta. Three people, including Fanta’s sister Mamasu (12), were injured.
Investigators later learned the officers were mistaken: Angelo “AJ” Ford and Hassan Strand, two teenagers who were nearby, opened fire, police say, after an argument inside the stadium escalated.
Ford and Strand were initially charged with murder in Fanta’s death, but those charges were dropped after a grand jury recommended indictments against the officers. The teenagers are charged with minor offenses stemming from the shooting that injured a 13-year-old bystander.
In the car were two Academy Park alumni who arrived late for the game. According to investigators, none of the bullets hit them, but one of the women was injured by broken glass.
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsheimer said in a statement Thursday that the guilty plea “brings accountability” to the officers involved in that night’s shooting.
“Fanta’s death was a tragedy for her family, her friends and the entire community, and nothing that happened in the courtroom today can lessen the grief we all feel from that terrible night,” he said. “My office remains in close communication with the family to ensure that their feelings are heard and respected as we seek justice in the midst of such a tragedy.”
The Bility family filed a lawsuit in federal court against the three former officers and the Sharon Hill Borough Police Department.
Bruce Castor, an attorney representing the family, said the borough failed the entire community: Officers weren’t properly trained to handle random situations involving shootings, a lack of skills that led to Fanta’s shooting.
“Standing there and shooting at the target is one thing. It’s another thing to have all kinds of commotion, people around, good and bad, the chaos of a gun battle,” Castor said after Thursday’s court hearing. “Police officers need training to deal with that kind of situation, and I’ve seen no evidence of that happening.”
Still, he said the Bility family was pleased with the outcome of the criminal case, which he said he helped negotiate over 14 months.
“These people, while shy and humble here, have an ear of steel running through them,” he said.
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