Pennsylvania cops have arrested a teenager for murder in connection with the August death of an 8-year-old girl who was killed by police gunfire.
16-year-old Angelo “AJ” Ford was arrested on Wednesday and held without bond at George W. Hill Correctional Facility. Authorities are still trying to locate 18-year-old Hasein Strand, who is also charged with murder for Fanta Bility’s death.
The Delaware County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said the teens would also face five counts of attempted murder and five counts of assault and endangerment, and other gun-related charges.
Both teens are being charged with murder for Bility’s death even though they did not fire the bullet that killed the little girl.
“Under the laws of this Commonwealth, my office has determined that Ford and Strand should both be held criminally liable for the murder of Fanta Bility, as well as for the wounding of all of the bystanders,” Stollsteimer said.
The District Attorney’s office determined that, on August 27, Ford and Strand “exchanged multiple gunshots with each other” after a verbal altercation at a high school football game.
“This gunfight wounded one person caught in the crossfire” and led to police stationed near the entrance to the football stadium to discharge their weapons, Stollsteimer explained.
The “gunfire by the officers wounded three bystanders and tragically killed Fanta Bility,” he said.
According to the DA’s statement, the girl was rushed to a local hospital and pronounced dead that evening. She was killed by a single gunshot wound to the torso, according to the Delaware County Medical Examiner’s report.
