3 Philly SWAT officers shot while serving warrant in West Poplar; suspect dead

District Attorney Larry Krasner released a statement in regards to the shooting that left three Philadelphia SWAT officers injured:

"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."

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw is currently in Dallas for the Major Cities Chiefs' Conference, but she released a statement after three SWAT officers were injured while serving a warrant to a suspect in West Poplar:  

"Today, shortly after 6AM, while serving a warrant on a murder suspect, members of our SWAT unit were fired upon. As the officers were knocking and announcing the warrant, without warning, this suspect fired through a window and door.  Three of our brave officers were shot by the assailant, but were still able to return gunfire. By the grace of God, it appears our officers will physically recover from their wounds. 

The suspect was killed in the exchange.

Although I am currently in Dallas, Texas for the Major Cities Chiefs' Conference, I was grateful to be able to speak with the officers involved and thank them for their remarkable service to our city. 

While our SWAT officers are highly-trained professionals, this is yet again another cold reminder of the dangers involved in the work they do. Warrant service is always a high-risk assignment; particularly when the suspect is wanted in connection to violent crime.

But let me make sure something is perfectly clear: it is NOT the job of our officers to be shot at.

It is not their job to be stabbed, spat upon, accosted or attacked in any way. And this type of violence towards our police - towards anyone - can not continue to be normalized.

We are tired of arresting the same suspects over and over again, only to see them right back out on the street to continue and sometimes escalate their criminal ways. 

We are tired of having to send our officers into harm's way to serve warrants on suspects who have no business being on the street in the first place.

No - not everyone needs to be in jail. But when we repeatedly see the extensive criminal histories of those we arrest for violent crime, the question needs to be asked as to why they were yet again back out on the street and terrorizing our communities.  

I am beyond disgusted by this violence. Our entire department is sickened by what is happening to the people that live, work, and visit our city.  

Residents are tired of it. 

Business owners are tired of it.

Our children are tired of it.

We are long past "enough is enough".

As your Police Commissioner, I can promise you this: Our officers will not be intimidated, and we will continue to do everything we can to make Philadelphia a safer place to live."  

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The 19-year-old suspect who was killed after police say he opened fire at SWAT officers in North Philadelphia has been identified as Raheem Lee, police confirm to CBS3. 

Police said Wednesday morning he was wanted for a homicide that happened in August but didn't have specific details about the incident. He was also wanted for multiple gunpoint robberies, according to police. 

Three SWAT officers were shot while attempting to serve the warrant in West Poplar. All three officers have been placed in stable condition and one of the officers has since been released from the hospital.

Police say while officers were attempting to knock and announce, they were fired at first by the suspect.

The gunfire struck one officer in the leg, one in the hip and the other in the upper chest after the bullet ricocheted off his vest. 

Police say the suspect then ran through the property attempting to escape, but he ran into officers that contained the rear of the property. 

Police say SWAT officers returned fire at the suspect after he fired at them, striking the suspect. He was later pronounced dead at Temple University Hospital. 

Three Philadelphia SWAT officers were shot while serving a warrant in West Poplar on Wednesday morning. Police say a 19-year-old man fired at the officers through a door and window. 

The shooting happened around 6 a.m. on North 10th Street.

A neighbor that spoke with Eyewitness News says that the shooting sounded like a war zone.

Click here for the full story. 

Two of the three Philadelphia SWAT officers that were shot while serving a warrant are expected to be released from Jefferson Hospital on Wednesday. The third is undergoing further tests. 

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw is at a press event in Dallas, but she spoke with the officers following the incident. All three of the SWAT officers were placed in stable condition. 

One officer was shot in the leg, one was hit in the hip, and the other was hit in the upper chest. 

Police say 19-year-old suspect that fired at police was wanted for homicide and several gunpoint robberies. 

"This is probably the most dangerous part of policing is serving warrant on someone you know or suspect to be a murderer and involved in other kinds of crimes," Mayor Jim Kenney said. "It just shows that our officers that our officers show every single day and every single night to work their best to brave to put themselves in harms way and to do that for us. And that's a wonderful sacrifice they make for us and we don't appreciate them as much as we should. 

Mayor Jim Kenney and police provided an update on Wednesday morning outside Jefferson Hospital after three Philadelphia SWAT officers were shot by a suspect while serving a warrant in West Poplar. The suspect later died at Temple University Hospital. 

Police say the 19-year-old suspect was wanted for a homicide that happened in August. Police didn't have specific details about the incident. The suspect was also wanted for multiple gunpoint robberies, according to police. 

Police say while officers were serving a warrant, attempting to knock and announce, they were fired at first by the suspect.

The gunfire struck one officer in the leg, one in the hip and the other in the upper chest after the bullet ricocheted off his vest. 

Police say the suspect then ran through the property attempting to escape, but he ran into officers that contained the rear of the property. 

Police say SWAT officers returned fire at the suspect after he fired at them, striking the suspect.   

Philadelphia police say the suspect shot during a barricade situation in West Poplar has died. He was pronounced dead at Temple University Hospital. 

Authorities say the suspect engaged with officers first. 

Police say the three SWAT officers were shot in the chest, hip and leg. They were all placed in stable condition. 

CBS3's Jasmine Payoute is on the scene in West Poplar where officers have started to put down crime scene markers on North 10th Street. 

It appears at least 21 shots were fired during the incident. 

New video from the scene where the shooting happened shows men being taken into custody following the incident. 

At least three men were taken in custody following the incident. It's unclear how they are connected to the shooting at this time. 

Two children were also pulled from the barricaded house.