October 23, 2026
Thom Carroll/For PhillyVoice
District Attorney Larry Krasner, shown in a file photo, responded to criticism from Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel on Friday afternoon. Bethel had called Krasner's remarks about a prior police investigation into the man accused of killing officer Shane Seiber 'absolutely unacceptable' on Thursday.
District Attorney Larry Krasner defended his claims that Philadelphia police botched a 2019 homicide case involving the man now accused of fatally shooting officer Shane Seiber and severely injuring officer Hector Rodriguez III earlier this month. He added that his office is considering filing criminal charges against law enforcement officials connected to the previous case.
A member of Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel's "inner circle" was communicating with members of the media implying that Eric Lewis, the man charged in Seiber's killing, was acquitted in 2023 because two attorneys in the DA's office "blew it," Krasner said during a news conference Friday. Krasner did not name who, but said their remarks amounted to "character assassination" and he "had no choice" but to correct the misinformation about the attorneys when he posted a video last week alleging "deeply flawed" and "arguably criminal" conduct from police during the 2023 trial.
"What was happening was two truly excellent lawyers ... both of whom have done great work in this office, were having their reputations bashed when they had done an excellent job with an extremely flawed investigation," he said. "If you think that ticks me off, it does."
In 2019, Lewis was accused of fatally shooting Christopher Williams in West Philadelphia after a road rage dispute. Krasner said a former police officer, Naeem Crawley, who was dating Lewis' sister at the time, falsely claimed he received an anonymous tip about another suspect. The lack of sufficient evidence led to the judge to rule a not guilty verdict and recommend Philly police's Office of Internal Affairs to investigate, Krasner said. On Thursday, Bethel said Crawley had been terminated from the police force.
The District Attorney's Office is now contemplating filing charges against people connected to the case, Krasner said. When asked why they didn't pursue legal action in 2023, Krasner said his office was attempting to give the internal affairs space to conduct an investigation and refer the case back to them, which never happened.
"The truth is that that acquittal was the direct result of one of the worst investigations that I've seen in my nearly 40 years of criminal practice," Krasner said. "Now that we are aware of a longer story about internal affairs not exactly getting back to us or asking us to pursue criminal charges, we are contemplating criminal charges in relation to the activities of at least one and possibly more people in connection with that case."
Krasner went on to criticize the lack of interagency communication within the city. He claimed to have texted both Bethel and Mayor Cherelle Parker after Seiber's shooting, inviting them to communicate with his office "at any time, for any reason."
"Unfortunately, this lack of communication is familiar," he said. "... 'One Philly a City United,' means we all talk to each other. ... Sadly, that is not what has occurred. I can only hope that that situation will improve in the future."
The city's top prosecutor pushed back against remarks made by Bethel on Thursday, when the commissioner called the DA office's conduct in the wake of Seiber's shooting "absolutely unacceptable." Krasner also insinuated that Bethel may have been aware of the claims coming from his circle, recalling a conversation about leaks from the police department "some years ago" in which he apparently told Krasner "this place is a sieve."
"I am deeply disappointed that (Bethel) would stand in front of a camera ... and that he would represent that it is a terrible thing to speak to the media before a funeral happens when that's exactly what his inner circle did," Krasner said.
Bethel addressed the DA's public comments in an uncharacteristically charged statement during a news conference held by U.S. Attorney David Metcalf, who was announcing federal firearm and robbery charges against Lewis.
"I've been at this work for almost 40 years,” Bethel said. “Never once have I stood up in front of an audience and talked about my conflicts with the District Attorney’s Office. … I've never seen that in my entire career where when my family was suffering, the city was suffering … the community was suffering, my officers were suffering, and you stand up and you talk about something that is unnecessary."
Sgt. Eric Gripp, a public information officer, said in a statement Friday that Bethel stands by the comments he made at Thursday's news conference.
"Our focus remains on Sgt. Shane Seiber's family and on P/O Hector Rodriguez and his family as he continues his recovery," the statement read. "These families have endured enough, and we will not prolong their pain through a public back-and-forth. We will continue supporting them and focusing on the work ahead."
The executive board of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5 also released a statement Thursday that called Krasner's remarks "disgraceful" and "poorly timed." It claimed Krasner "misrepresented" facts about the case to deflect from his office's "failure."
"It is disgraceful that District Attorney Krasner would use the murder of a Philadelphia police officer as an opportunity to deflect responsibility and scapegoat the very officers who put their lives on the line every day to protect this city," the statement said. "... At a time when leadership and accountability are needed most, Krasner chose to spread misinformation, assign blame and attack the Philadelphia Police Department."
Krasner said in a statement Thursday that he supports the filing of new federal charges against Lewis and would continue attempting to facilitate dialogue between the offices.
"This act of violence against members of the law enforcement community deserves our collective respect, coordination and communication," Krasner said. "I will continue to make outreach to (Bethel) and (Parker) with hopes to work together in supporting our city and law enforcement colleagues through this difficult time. … For now, I will await their returned communication."
Seiber, 40, was a 10-year veteran of the police force. He is survived by his wife and two children. Rodriguez, 33, remains hospitalized at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center after being shot 12 times. According to a GoFundMe page raising money for his family, Rodriguez has been a Philly police officer for nine years and is a father of five. Nearly $60,000 had been raised as of Friday morning.
Lewis has been charged with murder, homicide of a law enforcement officer and related offenses. On Thursday, Metcalf filed federal charges that allege Lewis was in possession of a stolen firearm and ammunition. If convicted, Lewis faces a maximum life sentence in prison.
Bethel concluded Thursday's conference by apologizing for potentially taking attention away from the partnership between his department and federal prosecutors, adding that it had been an "emotional week" for him.
"I don't want that to be the distraction," he said. "Yes, I am frustrated and I can get fired up, but I want to make sure that everyone knows that this is a relationship built on trust, on support."
