Fanta Bility

An $11 million settlement reached in the shooting death of Fanta Bility in Sharon Hill

Then 8-year-old Fanta Bility was shot and killed after Sharon Hill officers opened fire as a crowd was leaving a high school football game

death of 8-year-old Fanta Bility
AP Photo/Matt Rourke

An $11 million settlement has been reached in the death of Fanta Bility who was shot when Sharon Hill officers opened fire into a moving car as a nearby crowd was leaving a high school football game in August of 2021.

Borough of Sharon Hill took to their website to confirm the settlement by saying in part, "we have entered into a federal settlement agreement with the Bility family and all other plaintiffs named in the claim."

"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," the statement reads.

A spokesperson for the family of Fanta Bility confirmed to NBC10 that nine people are part of the settlement. They explained that both the criminal and civil matters are now resolved.

"There is no amount of money that will ever bring Fanta back or erase the horrible tragedy of what occurred on August 27, 2021, from our minds," Bility's mother Tenneh Kromah said in a statement to NBC10. "We hope to move on and focus specifically on the Fanta Bility Foundation and keeping Fanta's name and legacy alive."

Brian Devaney, 4, Devon Smit, 34, and Sean Dolan, 25, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of reckless endangerment in a deal that prosecutors said the family of victim Fanta Bility was involved in. In exchange, prosecutors dropped charges of voluntary and involuntary manslaughter against the officers.

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