Settlement reached in shooting death of 8-year-old Fanta Bility, Sharon Hill says
SHARON HILL, Pa. (CBS) -- The Borough of Sharon Hill and the family of Fanta Bility, the 8-year-old who was killed by police gunfire in 2021, have reached an agreement on a federal settlement, the borough wrote on its website Thursday night.
"While we (the Borough of Sharon Hill) acknowledge that there are no words or actions that can adequately address the tragic loss of Fanta Bility, we have entered into a federal settlement agreement with the Bility family and all other plaintiffs named in the claim.
Though this chapter has come to an end, our hearts and the spirit of the Sharon Hill community will be forever changed. Although we cannot undo the tragic events of that day, we hope that the resolution of the lawsuit might provide those impacted a small measure of closure.
In moving forward, we will continue to mourn with and extend our deepest sympathies to the Bility family. We will also continue to raise the bar by remaining committed to improving and implementing policies to protect against this type of tragedy, and working diligently to ensure the safety of Sharon Hill residents while restoring public confidence and trust," Sharon Hill Borough wrote in a statement.
Three Sharon Hill Police officers -- Devon Smith, Sean Dolan, and Brian Devaney -- were sentenced to 11 months of home confinement and five years probation for their involvement in the shooting.
The shooting happened on Aug. 27, 2021, outside of the Academy Park Football stadium.
RELATED: Fanta Bility Foundation honors 8-year-old mistakenly killed by police gunfire
Police said the officers heard gunfire coming from outside of the stadium and fired their weapons, which ended up fatally striking Bility.
Last year, Sharon Hill Borough Council released a highly redacted report on police response, training and use of force. Since then, they've never released the full document.
The community demanded full transparency in the two years plus since the investigation into the incident unfolded.
