Family of Fanta Bility settles lawsuit for $11 million in police shooting death of 8-year-old girl

The family of 8-year-old Fanta Bility, who was killed by police gunfire outside a high school football game in 2021, has settled its wrongful-death lawsuit against the borough of Sharon Hill for $11 million.

The settlement was agreed to in federal court this week, said attorney Michael T. van der Veen, a lawyer for the family.

“The family has been mourning throughout this whole process,” he said Friday. “I really believe that they’re going to find some closure with the settlement. I can see it already.”

The agreement resolves three lawsuits alleging that Sharon Hill failed to train and supervise its officers, and that police used excessive force in August 2021, when they shot at a vehicle near the Academy Park High School stadium as Fanta and her family left a football game. A bullet struck Fanta in the back, and she died in her mother’s arms a short time later.

The shooting injured four other people, including Fanta’s older sister, two women inside the vehicle, and a girl who was shot in the foot and required surgery, van der Veen said. Under the settlement, Fanta’s family and the two women will receive $10 million, and the girl will receive $1 million.

» READ MORE: A year after Fanta Bility’s death, her family is mourning a vibrant child gone too soon

The payout was capped at $11 million under the borough’s insurance policy, said van der Veen, who represented Bility’s family alongside attorney Bruce L. Castor.

As part of the settlement, he said, Sharon Hill has agreed to form a citizen’s advisory committee that will have a say in the hiring of borough police officers.

The settlement also requires Sharon Hill police officers to undergo training in using deadly force, van der Veen said.

And the borough will rename a park after Fanta, a vibrant girl remembered for her generosity to family and friends, love of vanilla ice cream, and dancing, so she is not forgotten.

“You can’t fix what happened,” van der Veen said. The family’s goal in settling with the borough, he said, “was really to identify what the cause was, and then a solution to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

In a statement on the borough’s website, Sharon Hill officials said “there are no words or actions that can adequately address the tragic loss of Fanta Bility.”

“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,” the statement said. “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.”

Robert DiDomenicis, who represented Sharon Hill and its officers in negotiations, did not return a request for comment Friday.

The 2021 shooting upset many residents of the Delaware County borough, and Fanta’s family and neighbors staged protests and sought accountability in the child’s death.

The three officers who fired into the crowd at Academy Park — Brian Devaney, 43, Sean Dolan, 26, and Devon Smith, 35 — pleaded guilty last year to 10 counts each of reckless endangerment, avoiding more serious charges of manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter. They were sentenced in May to five years’ probation.

In August, Fanta’s family created the Fanta Bility Foundation, hosting a book bag and school supply drive to honor her giving spirit. Fanta’s mother, Tenneh Kromah, said the organization will advocate for better police training and safety measures. Her family will also push for legislation in Harrisburg to require regular deadly force training for police across the commonwealth, van der Veen said.

“We want to make sure,” Kromah said, “that nobody ever goes through what my family went through.”