PHILADELPHIA (October 12, 2022) – District Attorney Larry Krasner on Wednesday issued the following statement on a shooting incident this morning that left three officers wounded and a suspect wanted for murder dead:
“On August 23rd, 2022, my office approved an arrest warrant for Raheem Lee (DOB: 4/15/2003), who we allege is responsible for the shooting murder of Theodore Bell on August 21, 2022. Bell was located inside a vehicle with gunshot wounds to the neck and pronounced deceased on scene.
“This morning, Philadelphia Police SWAT officers executed a search warrant to apprehend Raheem Lee and take him into custody. During an exchange of gunfire, three officers were shot and wounded and Lee was fatally wounded. The events related to this incident, including the August 21 homicide which appears to be domestic in nature (the victim, Mr. Bell, is connected to the family of Raheem Lee), remain under active investigation by the Philadelphia Police and our Homicide/Non-Fatal Shootings Unit.
“Every day, our prosecutors and DA’s detectives work hand in hand with Philadelphia Police and other law enforcement who investigate criminal incidents, identify suspects, and bring them into custody so they may be removed from our communities and held accountable in a court of law. It is never lost on me, or any of the more than 275 prosecutors in my office, that our cases rely heavily on the investigative work of police and on the highly dangerous duty they have to apprehend criminal suspects in a society where guns outnumber people. The work of SWAT is crucial and extraordinarily dangerous. We are grateful for the bravery and selflessness of Philadelphia Police officers and other law enforcement officers in our partner agencies.
“We are relieved and thankful that the three officers who were seriously wounded in the line of duty this morning are expected to survive. We hope their recoveries will be quick and complete. This incident, like all officer-involved shootings and fatalities, will be investigated both by the PPD and our office, and possibly other law enforcement partners.”
CONTACT:Jane Roh, 215-686-8711, [email protected]
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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million residents of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of approximately 40,000 criminal cases annually. Learn more about the DAO by visiting PhillyDA.org.