Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner draws criticism for muted response to college student's fatal robbery shooting

William J. Schmidt, a 22-year-old Penn State University senior, was fatally shot in South Philadelphia late Saturday night during what police are describing as a robbery. According to the Washington Examiner, security camera footage from a nearby house showed Schmidt approaching two suspects who had taken his cellphone; a gunshot was heard off camera seconds later. Officers found him in the street and transported him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner addressed the case publicly, telling reporters, "Crime is going to continue in human existence. The real question is, how do you manage it? Are you managing crime, reducing it? Reducing victimizations?" The Washington Examiner reported that as of the time of publication, the two suspects remained at large.

Coverage of the story was supplied by a single right-leaning outlet. The Washington Examiner's piece, filed as opinion, drew an extended comparison between Krasner's measured comments on Schmidt's death and his earlier, more forceful statements directed at federal immigration enforcement officers. The outlet quoted Krasner from earlier this year warning that his office would hold ICE agents accountable, including the statement: "If we have to hunt you down the way they hunted down Nazis for decades, we will find your identities, we will find you, we will achieve justice." The Examiner argued that the contrast in tone reflected a broader pattern in Krasner's priorities.