For more than an hour early Saturday, Philadelphia police sought a man who had just killed one of their own, Shane Seiber. Gunfire sent officers running for cover. The shooter, Eric Lewis, was arrested when he fell out of a tree. Here's a timeline: www.inquirer.com/crime/inq2/w...
How the deadly West Philly police shooting unfolded
Officer Shane Seiber died after a shooting in West Philadelphia early Saturday morning that left his partner wounded. Here's how the events unfolded.
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NEW: Anthropic's AI model submitted a false homicide tip to the Philadelphia Police Department in July, authorities say. The Silicon Valley company discovered the unintended interaction two months later and alerted police officials this week. www.inquirer.com/crime/anthro...
Anthropic’s artificial intelligence gave a false homicide tip to Philly police, triggering a meeting with the company
The incident happened on July 18 but was not discovered by the Silicon Valley company until September, authorities say.
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The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled today that the special prosecutor for SEPTA crimes is constitutional. It was another blow to DA Larry Krasner, who said the role unlawfully stripped his office's authority. w @abgutman.bsky.social www.inquirer.com/crime/septa-...
Pa. Supreme Court says SEPTA special prosecutor is constitutional, another blow to Krasner
A unanimous Supreme Court rejected District Attorney Larry Krasner's argument that the SEPTA special prosecutor law is unconstitutional because it strips away the authority of an elected DA.
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11 small business owners in Philadelphia defrauded Pennsylvania out of nearly $1 million, prosecutors say. The money came from a federal food assistance program designed for low-income mothers and their children. www.inquirer.com/crime/philad...
11 Philly business owners stole funds from program for low-income women and children, prosecutors say
The store owners defrauded a food-assistance program out of tens of thousands of dollars, prosecutors said, and in one case more than $340,000.
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Two members of Philly's Black Panther-style group were arrested in Chester this summer, months after Philly police revoked their gun licenses. The group's presence in the Delaware County city has not pleased its top public official. www.inquirer.com/crime/philad...
Black Panther-style group members arrested in Chester, as mayor decries their presence
Paul Birdsong, the Panthers' leader, was held for trial this month on a firearms violation. It's not group's only run-in with Chester police this year.
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U.S. Marshals arrested 41 people in the Philadelphia area who were wanted for violent felonies and receiving public housing assistance. It's part of a national effort by HUD to arrest fugitives receiving federal housing aid. www.inquirer.com/crime/hud-ho...
41 arrested in HUD-backed operation targeting Philly fugitives receiving public housing assistance
"Operation Moving Day" was carried out by U.S. Marshals and is part of a larger federal law enforcement initiative.
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Camille Joseph's family left Haiti for a better life in Philadelphia. They wonder why he was fatally shot in Nicetown earlier this month. www.inquirer.com/crime/camill...
Camille Joseph left Haiti for a better life in Philadelphia. His family wonders why he was fatally shot in Nicetown.
Camille Joseph, 25, was shot and killed in a Nicetown shopping center parking lot on Sept. 11, police say. But they have yet to identify a suspect or a motive.
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21-year-old Aiden Zeallor was driving home on I-95 last year when he was fatally struck by stray bullets from a semi-automatic rifle meant for someone in a nearby vehicle. Last week, police arrested a man and woman in connection with the killing. www.inquirer.com/crime/i95-mu...
Man and woman charged with murder in shooting on I-95 that killed a 21-year-old bystander
The arrests come nearly 18 months after Aiden Zeallor was killed by stray bullets on the highway's northbound lane near Port Richmond.
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A Philadelphia father is searching for answers after lawyers say a police pursuit of an ATV ended in his son’s death www.inquirer.com/crime/sterli...
A father is searching for answers after lawyers say a police pursuit of an ATV ended in his son’s death
Sterling Jones, 22, died after his ATV struck an Uber driver in May. Lawyers for Jones' father say police should not have been pursuing him in the first place.
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Superior Court judges reinstated murder convictions for the "Chester Trio," who recently, after more than 20 years in prison, were granted new trials for a Delco killing they say they did not commit. www.inquirer.com/crime/cheste...
Judges reinstate convictions for ‘Chester Trio’, who say they were wrongly accused of woman’s 1997 murder
The Pennsylvania Superior Court rejected defense lawyers' arguments that new DNA evidence warranted new trials for the men and said the guilty verdicts reached by jurors in three trials should stand.
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Md Mahfuzul Haque moved to Philadelphia to support his wife's medical career, driving for DoorDash despite being a doctor in his native Bangladesh. Police say he was shot and killed during a robbery this month and charged a 15 y/o with murder. www.inquirer.com/crime/md-mah...
Doctor killed in Southwest Philly was driving for DoorDash to support wife’s medical career, family says
Md Mahfuzul Haque, a doctor and Bangladesh native, moved to Philadelphia to support his wife's medical career. He was killed during a robbery this month, police say.
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An off-duty Philadelphia police officer who shot his uncle six times in the head over the weekend claimed he killed the man in self-defense, court documents show. www.inquirer.com/crime/philad...
Off-duty Philly cop who shot and killed uncle in Northampton County claims self-defense, court documents say
Kenroy Cummings, a two-year veteran of the force, shot the man six times in the head before fleeing police, according to the documents.
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The founder of a well-known Philadelphia anti-violence nonprofit has been charged with aggravated assault for attacking a woman with a boxcutter during an argument on SEPTA. The victim was placed in critical condition and required facial surgery. www.inquirer.com/crime/rosali...
Founder of Kensington anti-violence nonprofit arrested for knife attack on SEPTA train, authorities say
Rosalind "Roz" Pichardo, founder of Operation Save Our City, was arrested for attacking a SEPTA passenger with a box cutter during an argument last week, authorities said.
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Lawmakers designed Philly's special SEPTA prosecutor role to expire about the time they thought DA Krasner would be out of office. With Krasner in a third term, the fate of the office is now uncertain. www.inquirer.com/news/pennsyl...
The SEPTA special prosecutor in Philly is set to expire this year. Will state lawmakers extend it into Larry Krasner’s third term?
Legislators set aside another full year of funding for the office — $1.2 million — but haven’t agreed on whether they will extend it further.
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A UK man shot and killed in Roxborough last week was a member of that country's loosely-affiliated "Traveling Conmen" fraud group, according to DHS. www.inquirer.com/crime/roxbor...
Man killed in Roxborough was a member of ‘Traveling Conmen’ fraud group and in country illegally, DHS says
Salis Hanrahan, 20, was a member of the U.K.-centric group that defrauds contracting customers, officials said.
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Seven years later, family members of a beloved Delaware County teacher continue to ask: who murdered Susan Morrissey? share.inquirer.com/R3e3OS
‘Time doesn’t heal all wounds’: A beloved Delco teacher’s murder, seven years later, haunts loved ones and confounds authorities
Susan Morrissey's sister, Missy, keeps hundreds of pages of notes and documents related to her sister’s death, making her something of an in-house historian of the family’s tragedy.
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A Philadelphia mosque was damaged in an arson attack over the weekend. Islamic groups have surveillance footage of a possible suspect and are urging police to investigate the incident as a hate crime. www.inquirer.com/crime/philad...
Northeast Philly mosque damaged in arson attack, authorities say
The incident happened at the Northeast Philadelphia Islamic Center in Castor Gardens early Sunday morning, according to police.
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Attorney General Dave Sunday sat down with The Inquirer last week to discuss the Pa. Supreme Court decision that gave his office unprecedented oversight over the Philly DA's post-conviction work, his stance on a recent abortion ruling, and more. www.inquirer.com/politics/att...
Pa. Attorney General Dave Sunday talks Supreme Court’s Krasner ruling, abortion appeal
The high court recently gave Sunday's office unprecedented authority over the DA's post-conviction review process. He discussed that ruling and more in an interview with The Inquirer.
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Why did Eric Franks, a firearms instructor who taught gun safety and wished for a safer neighborhood, shoot three Philadelphia police officers on Saturday? Those who knew him - a city councilman included - struggle for answers. www.inquirer.com/crime/eric-f...
Why did a firearms instructor who promoted gun safety shoot three Philly cops? Those who knew him struggle for answers.
Eric Franks cared about reducing crime in his Wynnefield neighborhood, those who knew him said. After he shot officers there Saturday, police returned fire and killed him.
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‘This is not about Pride’: Police Commissioner Bethel addresses criticism of police response to Gayborhood www.inquirer.com/crime/kevin-...
‘This is not about Pride’: Police Commissioner Bethel addresses criticism of police response to Gayborhood
Bethel said he welcomes responding to questions during planned City Council hearings on the June 6 incident.
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After the George Floyd protests, the case of Philly cop Richard Nicoletti - who pepper-sprayed three people at point blank on I-676 - was central in the effort to uphold police accountability. Now he will serve 1 year of probation, court records show. www.inquirer.com/crime/richar...
Former Philly SWAT officer who pepper sprayed protesters on I-676 will serve one year of probation
Richard P. Nicoletti was accused of assaulting the protesters with pepper spray. Prosecutors' attempt to hold him accountable in 2023 ended in a mistrial.
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Mayor Parker has responded to local outrage over the Philadelphia Police Department's use of force during Pride festivities in the Gayborhood on Sunday. www.inquirer.com/news/philade...
Mayor Parker responds to the police use of force during Philly's Pride celebration
After 15 people were arrested Sunday during Pride celebrations, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said she is investigating and meeting with community leaders.
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The DOJ is investigating the Philadelphia Police Dept. over its revocation of gun owners' firearms permits. It is unclear whether the probe is tied to members of a Black Panthers-adjacent group who had their gun permits revoked earlier this year. www.inquirer.com/politics/jus...
The Justice Department is investigating whether Philly police are improperly revoking gun permits
In a letter to Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, a DOJ official said the investigation will evaluate whether police were violating the Constitution by their method of revoking gun permits.
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Fifteen people were arrested at a Pride celebration in Philadelphia's Gayborhood on Sunday, drawing criticism from the city's gay community. “Police, dressed up as if we’re going to riot, basically start steamrolling the street" one attendee said. www.inquirer.com/crime/gaybor...
15 arrested as police response to Gayborhood Pride festival spurs criticism from some in LGBTQ+ community
Police Commissioner Kevn Bethel said officers had responded "to a growing number of public safety concerns."
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Kobe Artis, the man who went viral for carrying an assault-style weapon around Kensington while encouraging others to arm themselves, had his bail reduced to $350,000 in court today. It was previously $1 million. www.inquirer.com/crime/kobe-a...
Man who went viral for carrying assault-style weapon around Kensington has bail reduced from $1 million to $350k
Kobe Artis, 24, appeared in Philadelphia Municipal Court on Tuesday and said little as he waived his preliminary hearing in exchange for reduced bail.
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The leader of the Panthers, a Philadelphia-based armed Black citizens group, had his gun permit revoked by police after a confrontation with an officer in January. He’s calling the move unconstitutional. www.inquirer.com/crime/philad...
The leader of the Panthers, an armed Black citizens group, had his gun permit revoked by police. He’s calling the move unconstitutional.
Until recently, Paul Birdsong carried a gun during armed patrols throughout the city alongside other members of the Panthers. Now the weapon stays behind.
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Jury tampering charges in Philadelphia are a rarity. But prosecutors are accusing two men of attempting to influence the outcome of a murder trial in April after they told jurors to return a "not guilty" verdict in a courtroom hallway. New: www.inquirer.com/crime/jury-t...
Two men are accused of jury tampering in a Philadelphia murder trial, a rare charge in city court
One suspect is in custody after prosecutors accused the men of telling jurors the defendant was innocent. The jury still convicted him.
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Kobe Artis, an AR-toting man who went viral for brandishing the gun around Kensington, traveled to Philadelphia from western Pa. with a goal: to teach people about open carrying firearms. Yesterday he was arrested and charged with firearms crimes. www.inquirer.com/news/philade...
A man who went viral for walking around Kensington with an assault rifle-style weapon was arrested on illegal gun charges
Kobe Artis, 24, is known on social media for brandishing his unique AR-style pistol around Kensington. He was arrested this week on illegal gun charges.
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The man accused of killing hockey's Gaudreau brothers in a N.J. drunken driving incident in 2024 did not have a blood-alcohol content over the legal limit, his lawyers said in a new filing accusing prosecutors of mishandling the test sample. www.inquirer.com/crime/johnny...
Man accused of killing hockey’s Gaudreau brothers in drunken-driving incident had blood-alcohol level below legal limit, lawyer says
Lawyers for Sean M. Higgins say prosecutors failed to make a conversion in the 45-year-old's blood sample that would have put him below the 0.08 threshold that August 2024 evening.
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A teen girl stabbed her newborn baby to death with a pair of scissors in Northern Liberties over the weekend. The District Attorney's Office and homicide investigators did not agree over how the girl should be charged. www.inquirer.com/crime/teenag...
Teen mother charged with manslaughter in baby’s slaying in Northern Liberties
District Attorney Larry Krasner said additional information is being sought in an ongoing investigation into the crime.
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