Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner responded to criticism from Commissioner Kevin Bethel over his comments on a previous case involving the man accused of killing a Philadelphia police officer. “I am here once again because I’m forced to be here because misinformation has been provi ded,” Krasner said during a press conference Friday afternoon. On Thursday, Oct. 22, officials announced that Eric Lewis, 35, now faces federal charges of interstate commerce by robbery, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, theft of a firearm that has moved in interstate commerce, possession of a stolen firearm and stolen ammunition in the murder of 40-year-old Philadelphia Police Officer Shane Seiber. Lewis is accused of killing Seiber and wounding his partner in a shooting in West Philadelphia back on Oct. 10, 2026. The charges come amid renewed attention and questions regarding Lewis’ previous involvement in another homicide case. Lewis was arrested in November 2020 in connection with the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Christopher Williams in West Philadelphia on Aug. 31, 2019. Lewis was later acquitted at trial, a decision Krasner said resulted from serious misconduct by detectives and police officers involved in the investigation. Krasner described the 2019 killing as a “road rage murder” and said the judge had “no choice” but to find Lewis not guilty because of multiple investigative failures. Last week, Krasner attributed that acquittal to a compromised investigation involving the actions of a former Philadelphia police officer whom he claimed was dating Lewis’ sister at the time. During Thursday’s press conference on the federal charges, Bethel was asked about Krasner’s remarks. The commissioner took issue with the timing of Krasner’s statements as officers and their families were grieving the loss of Seiber. “My officers were suffering and you stand up and you talk about something that is unnecessary,” Bethel said. Krasner was not present for the federal announcement. However, he released the following statement regarding the charges against Lewis on Thursday: “This act of violence against members of the law enforcement community deserves our collective respect, coordination and communication. I will continue to make outreach to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel and Mayor Cherelle Parker with hopes to work together in supporting our city and law enforcement colleagues through this difficult time, consistent with their One Philly agenda. Real leadership brings everyone to the table, a promise made to Philadelphia. For now, I will await their returned communication. The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office will continue leading our prosecution with vigor, determination, fairness and transparency. The transparent statement and video released by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office on October 13, 2026, was intended to correct false information communicated to multiple media outlets by a senior-level law enforcement official who works directly for Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel.” During Friday’s press conference, Krasner said a member of Commissioner Bethel’s “inner circle” began to speak with the media shortly after Seiber’s death accusing two attorneys in his office of mishandling the 2019 murder case. “We start to learn, that an inner circle member of Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, someone close to him, and I know who it is, has communicated with the media that the reason that acquittal occurred, meaning the prior acquittal of Lewis, is because two other excellent attorneys in our office blew it. It’s somehow their fault that that case was an acquittal,” Krasner said. Krasner claimed even after hearing about this, he still never mentioned the police department’s mishandling of the case when he announced the initial charges against Lewis. However, according to Krasner, the “inner circle member” continued to tell the media his office was at fault for Lewis’ acquittal and bashed the reputations of two members of his office as well as the judge involved in the 2019 case. “As much as I would have not liked to respond to this character assassination, and that’s what it was, directed at two incredibly competent attorneys who did everything that was humanly possible, I had no choice but to correct miscommunication initiated by the inner circle of Police Commissioner Bethel and to tell Philadelphians the truth,” Krasner said. “So I did. And the truth is that that acquittal was the direct result of one of the worst investigations that I’ve seen in nearly 40 years of criminal practice.” NBC10 reached out to Philadelphia police for a response to Krasner’s comments. “Commissioner Bethel stands by all of his comments from the October 22 press conference held alongside our federal partners,” a police spokesperson wrote. “Our focus remains on Sgt. Shane Seiber’s family and on P/O Hector Rodriguez and his family as he continues his recovery. 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.” ...read more read less