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A Philadelphia police officer has died after a shooting in West Philadelphia on Saturday morning.
Officer Shane Seiber, 40, was shot three times while responding to a call in West Philadelphia, according to the department. A 10-year veteran who served in the 19th district, Seiber died at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
Seiber leaves behind a wife and two children, a 7-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter.
“He fought valiantly, but he lost his life today,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said at a news conference Saturday.
A 33-year-old officer was shot 12 times in the same incident and is in “stable” condition at the hospital, Bethel said, adding that they’re “not out of the woods yet.”
Philadelphia DA announces charges against suspect identified as Eric Lewis
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced Saturday that the suspect, whom he identified as 35-year-old Eric Lewis, was charged with the homicide of a law enforcement officer in Seiber’s death. In addition, Lewis is charged with attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer, two counts of disarming a law enforcement officer and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, among other charges.
Krasner said Lewis shot at nine other officers in addition to the two who were struck. Lewis is charged with nine counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and aggravated assault, the DA said.
Lewis will be held without bail, Krasner said, with a preliminary arraignment and bail hearing happening “in the near future.”
According to state court records, Lewis has a criminal history dating back to 2012. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to weapons charges for an incident in 2013, including carrying a firearm in public.
“This is a brutal, senseless, horrific killing and multiple shooting of another officer,” Krasner said.
Mayor Cherelle Parker said that city officials will be communicating with Seiber’s family.
“I need you to know that your Philadelphia village is here. You are not alone. We will be by your side, in the midst of it all,” she said earlier Saturday.
Officers received a call at 12:22 a.m. about a man with a gun on a porch at 140 N. 52nd St., Bethel said at an earlier news conference. Officers arrived on scene 30 minutes later, and were met with “significant gunfire” once they approached the porch, he added.
The suspect fired at officers additional times, Bethel said, and the department’s SWAT team responded to contain the suspect, who was found in a tree and apprehended.
Bethel said that he is “so damn proud of the men and women who serve in this department.”
“Consistently, they go into danger, and they give their lives for this job,” he said. “And so we ask for those prayers, and we ask for you to support our men and women out there, and what they give for this profession.”
City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who represents the 3rd District, where the shooting occurred, said at a news conference Saturday afternoon that the shooting was “a tragic, senseless incident.”
“We’ve been doing so much work in this area, the community, along with Philadelphia Community Outreach Committee, the 19th District, the 16th District, the 18th, to chase away drug traffic, to drive down shootings,” she said. “We have made such a measurable impact in the area. And so, beyond the fact that this is incredibly tragic, it feels even more tragic because the community has been working so hard here to make things safer.”