Delco’s district attorney asks the public for help in the fatal shooting of an 8-year-old girl at a football game

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer on Monday asked for the public’s help in finding the gunman who opened fire at a high school football game Friday night, killing an 8-year-old girl and injuring her 12-year-old sister.

Stollsteimer said media reports of arrests related to the crime were erroneous.

The game in Sharon Hill between Academy Park and Pennsbury High School had just ended when a barrage of bullets sent players and spectators diving for cover. Fanta Bility, who was in the stands with her mother and sister, was struck by a bullet in the chest and died later at a hospital.

“On Friday night, a terrible tragedy occurred — the senseless death of eight-year-old Fanta Bility,” Stollsteimer said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with her family and friends at this most difficult time.”

Two other juveniles, including Bility’s sister, were wounded, but the prosecutor’s statement did not include any updates on their status.

“There is an active and ongoing investigation into the circumstances of her death, led by the detectives of Delaware County’s Criminal Investigative Division,” the prosecutor said.

He added that part of the probe will also include looking into the “police discharge of weapons following initial shots fired by civilians” at the stadium.

Those with information about the shootings are asked to call Delaware County Detective Timothy Deery at 610-891-8030.

Meanwhile, Fanta’s family was continuing to make arrangements for her funeral, said relatives who received a steady stream of mourners at the family’s Sharon Hill home Monday.

Mariam Sanoe, Fanta’s cousin, remembered her as a happy girl who was fashionable and liked to make TikTok videos.

“She had her own style, and she was very confident. She was funny. She made everybody laugh,” she said. “Everybody loved her in the community.”

Mohamed Bility, Fanta’s uncle and a brother of the 8-year-old’s father, said the family has been receiving support from the police, the media, and her school district.

The violence that took Fanta’s life, he added, remains constant on his mind.

“When is the shooting going to stop? When are they going to get control over the guns on the streets?” he wondered. ”Because actually, children cannot go nowhere. When they go to school, they are not safe. When they go to a program on a football field they are not safe, either.”