On Aug. 27, Pennsylvania police officers accidentally shot and killed 8-year-old Fanta Bility at an Academy Park High School Football game.
Just over two months later, police have charged two teenagers with her killing.
According to the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, a 16-year-old, Angelo “AJ” Ford, of Sharon Hill, has been arrested on multiple charges, including first-degree murder, in the fatal shooting that took place on Aug. 27. Hasein Strand, 18, of Collingdale, has also been charged and police are working to track him down. Ford remains in custody, denied bail.
The police department has not determined which officer was responsible for Fanta’s death. She was shot once in the back. All three officers have admitted to firing into the vehicle.
“It is very simple,” First Assistant District Attorney Tanner Rouse said that the legal basis for charging the two teens in a statement. “They were attempting to kill one another that night, and as a direct result a little girl is dead.”
Witnesses say they saw Ford on Coates Street after the football game and that he had flashed a firearm inside his waistband. The witnesses say they heard him making threats. Ford then allegedly began shooting toward Ridley Avenue, and the witness says Strand shot back at Ford in the direction of the football field. Strand allegedly told another witness that there had been tension between their respective groups of friends.
Uniformed Sharon Hill Police were around 140 feet from a victim who was struck by the gunfire on the south sidewalk of Coates Street. Upon hearing the shots, the officers reached for their weapons and began shooting back. Four innocent bystanders were also struck by the police gunfire.
Fanta was rushed to an area hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. The injuries of the four remaining victims were non-fatal. Her 13-year-old sister, Mamasa, being one of them.
Last month, Fanta’s family filed a federal lawsuit against the officers and the Delaware County borough where the shooting took place.
“The main thrust of the suit is Sharon Hill Borough’s inadequate training and supervision of its police officers, and the police officers acting grossly negligent or recklessly, leading to Fanta being killed and her sister being wounded,” said Bruce Castor, the attorney representing the Bility family.
Fanta’s family is seeking over $150,000 in monetary damages.
An investigative grand jury will be impaneled Nov. 18. The grand jury will decide whether the officers will face criminal charges.
“The killing of Fanta Bility was a tragedy not just for her family, but for the entire Delaware County community,” said Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer. “Today’s arrests begin the criminal process for those that initiated the deadly events of August 27th by shooting to kill at a high school football game. Still, the pursuit of justice for Fanta demands that my office continue its comprehensive review of the actions of all parties involved in the tragic chain of events.”
