Theodore Crawford, a 17-year-old Black male from Hatfield, Pennsylvania, was shot and killed on April 16, 2022, in Philadelphia’s East Falls neighborhood. Police said the shooting happened shortly before 3:30 p.m. in the 3100 block of Berkeley Drive, where Crawford and an 18-year-old man were struck by gunfire. Crawford was shot multiple times and taken to a local hospital, where he died. The other victim survived.
For Theodore’s family, the loss was devastating and immediate.
His mother, Cherisse Pearson, later spoke publicly about the grief of losing her son so young, saying there were days she cried for hours and struggled with the thought that someone else had decided to take her child’s life. The case remained tied to the violence of that afternoon in East Falls, where a teenager from Montgomery County was killed before he ever had the chance to finish growing up.
In June 2025, Philadelphia police announced a major development in the case. Amir Williams and Andre Saunders, both 21, were arrested in connection with Crawford’s killing. Police said each man was charged with murder, attempted murder, and related offenses, reflecting not only Crawford’s death but also the shooting of the 18-year-old survivor.
Police also identified a third suspect, 22-year-old James Braswell of Philadelphia, as wanted in connection with the same double shooting. At the time of the CBS Philadelphia report, Braswell had not been reported in custody, and police were asking anyone with information about him to contact the homicide division or call 911.
The available source information does not report any conviction, guilty plea, trial outcome, sentencing, or punishment for Williams, Saunders, or Braswell. The public case status reflected in the available reporting is that two suspects had been arrested and charged, while a third suspect was still being sought.
