Three Pennsylvania police officers were fired Thursday after being charged in the death of a young girl, reported CBS Philadelphia.
The officers shot and killed 8-year-old Fanta Bility in August while intervening in a shooting near a high school football game.
Officers Brian Devaney, 41, Sean Dolan, 25, and Devon Smith, 33, fired repeated shots at a car as it drove through a crowd, shooting Fanta, her sister and two others.
The officers were fired after the Sharon Hill Borough Council carried out a 6-1 vote for the motion.
“The entire Borough grieves for Fanta Bility and we again convey our deepest sympathies to her family and everyone affected by the shooting,” Council President Tanya Allen said after the vote. “Now that the grand jury has concluded its investigation, and given the serious charges issued by the District Attorney, we are able to move forward with measures that will hold the officers accountable.”
The men were charged Tuesday with 12 counts of manslaughter and reckless endangerment.
“They picked the wrong target, they shot in the wrong direction at it, and they shot as that target was moving through a crowd of people. And that is why Fanta Bility is dead,” said Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer on Tuesday.
Devaney was not wearing a body camera during the incident and Dolan and Smith did not turn theirs on before it occurred, USA Today reported.
The officers will appear in court for a preliminary hearing next week.