Family Of 8-Year-Old Killed By Philadelphia Police Outraged Over Redacted Report

The family of Fanta Bility, an 8-year-old Black girl who was shot to death by police last year, is upset over the release of a report that has been heavily redacted regarding their daughter’s shooting in Sharon Hill (a Philadelphia suburb).

The report, which reveals the results of an investigation into the police policies pertaining to the shooting, was released by the Sharon Hill Borough Council on Friday. However, most of its findings were redacted.

Bruce Castor, who is the lawyer for Bility’s family, explained to ABC News on Sunday that the report is “unacceptable” and serves as “an insult to the memory of Fanta.” He added:

“The heavily edited report raises more questions in the minds of the family and the public than it answers. The world will eventually learn how Sharon Hill Borough officials failed to make certain its police trained under realistic scenarios and understood fully when deadly force is permitted under the law and when it is not.”

Bility was killed after leaving a football game at Academy Park High School last year. Officers Sean Dolan, Brian Devaney and Devon Smith fired their weapons toward the crowd after two teenagers allegedly opened fire during a fight close to the high school.

All officers were each charged with 12 criminal counts of reckless endangerment and manslaughter. After the charges were announced, the Sharon Hill Borough Council voted to terminate all three from Sharon Hill Police Department. The redacted report is the comes at the end of a nine-month investigation.

It also comes after lawyers for the three officers filed a motion last week to drop the voluntary and involuntary manslaughter charges against the officers, via Philadelphia ABC station WPVI.

Castor commented to ABC News: “No matter how ineptly they were trained, these officers intentionally unleashed deadly force when such force was not authorized by law injuring several people and killing a little girl.”