'Philadelphia voted for me': DA Larry Krasner stands firm on policies, says he won't resign as violence rises

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner took aim at attempts to impeach him from office while defending his own policies and the city's effort to combat gun violence as he appeared on Good Day Philadelphia Wednesday.

"We have a terrible crisis in this country when it comes to gun violence," Krasner said when asked about the tragedies plaguing the city of Philadelphia.

The District Attorney's appearance comes less than 24 hours after one teenager was killed, and four others were injured after a football scrimmage at Roxborough High School. 

Krasner was on location with other city leaders following the shooting, and says it was "one of the most heartbreaking cases we have seen."

"When you see kids leaving the football field, and they're gunned down, and they're between 14 and 17 years of age, it's just absolutely heartbreaking," he said. "I share the grief of the principal, the families, the neighborhood, and the entire city. This is a horrifying situation."

As homicides reach 400 in Philadelphia so far this year, Krasner says the city needs to focus on "cutting edge enforcement, coupled with a serious investment in prevention."

On Tuesday, Mayor Kenney signed an executive order banning all guns from Philadelphia's recreation facilities, a policy Krasner says he commits to upholding.

"We don't just want to be prosecuting people after the crime," Krasner said. "We want to stop the crime from happening and save that victim's life."

When asked about efforts to impeach him from office, Krasner doubled down on the statement, "You can't impeach someone for their policies or their ideas."

In June, three Republican members of the Pennsylvania House, announced plans to draft articles of impeachment against Krasner, alleging his progressive plans have increased gun crimes. A committee has since recommended that Krasner be held in contempt due to his failure to comply with subpoenas.

The district attorney told FOX 29's Alex Holley and Mike Jerrick that the committee is asking him to "commit a crime" with those subpoenas - an action he says "ended Kathleen Kane's career.".

"This is a MAGA effort to erase Philadelphia votes," Krasner said.

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Turning back to gun violence across Philadelphia, a tweet from a viewer posed the question: "Why does he keep letting juveniles back on the street with gun charges only to end up murdering people?"

According to data on the District Attorney website, 49% of gun possession charges anf 66% of violent offenses were withdrawn or dismissed this year.

Krasner defended his policies, saying he receives most support from areas most affected by gun violence, and claiming the perception that he is responsible is "for political reasons."

"The whole system has to work together," he said. "There are multiple things going on in the system."

When pressed by FOX 29's Mike Jerrick on his "perception problem" in Philadelphia, Krasner responded:

"There are people who want to put out the idea that there is a perception problem, but the reason we're going through this is they know they cannot defeat these ideas in election."

Despite calls for his impeachment, the district attorney says he has no plans of resigning.

"Philadelphia voted for me overwhelmingly, because they want what we are doing," he said. "When you bring change, the reality is that there are certain entities who don't want change."