Criminal charges have been filed against three Pennsylvania cops in connection with the shooting death of eight-year-old Fanta Bility.
A grand jury recommended the charges—which the Associated Press reported on Wednesday as including manslaughter and reckless endangerment—against Sharon Hill Police Department officers Brian Devaney, Sean Dolan, and Devon Smith (pictured below). Additionally, as revealed in a press release from the office of Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer, previously announced murder charges against A.J. Ford and Hasein Strand have been withdrawn.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 said.
The three officers, meanwhile, have each been charged with a total of 12 counts of manslaughter and reckless endangerment. Investigators have determined that the officers were monitoring the crowd at Academy Park High School in the city of Sharon Hill last August when they discharged their weapons “in the direction of the Academy Park football field.”
Days later, it was determined that there was “a high probability” that officers’ gunfire hit four total individuals, including Bility. As stated amid this week’s updates, investigators now say they’ve “concluded beyond a reasonable doubt” that gunshots from the newly charged officers ultimately killed Bility and left three other individuals with injuries.
In response to news of the charges being brought against the officers, Bruce L. Castor, Jr.—a lawyer for the Bility family—thanked Stollsteimer and investigators for “following the evidence” in this case.
“The family appreciates that the district attorney has kept the family informed at every stage of this investigation,” Castor said. “From the beginning he assured them that he would seek justice for Fanta, and today’s charges indicate that he’s done exactly that. They made the right call.”
Per AP, the three officers have each been released on unsecured $500,000 bail. A preliminary hearing, per Stollsteimer’s office, is currently set for Jan. 27 in Springfield District Court.
