A Philadelphia police officer is dead and his partner is fighting for his life after a gunman ambushed the two men on a West Philadelphia porch early Saturday morning — and the suspect turned out to be a city employee.
Officer Shane Seiber, 40, a 10-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, was shot three times and died at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. His partner, a 33-year-old officer and father of five, was shot 12 times. He survived emergency surgery and is in stable condition, though Commissioner Kevin Bethel cautioned he is not out of the woods yet.
It started with a 12:22 a.m. call about a man with a gun on a porch in the 100 block of North 52nd Street. Seiber and his partner arrived around 12:50 a.m. and stepped onto the porch — and were met with a hail of gunfire. Police are calling it an ambush.
The gunman didn't stop there. District Attorney Larry Krasner said the suspect, 35-year-old Eric Lewis, went on to fire at nine more officers as he fled through a nearby alley — 11 officers targeted in total. None of the nine were hit. Lewis then climbed a tree to hide. A SWAT team found him and took him into custody.
Officers recovered three firearms: a shotgun and two handguns — one of which belonged to one of the wounded officers, raising questions about how the gunman got his hands on it.
Lewis works for the Philadelphia Water Department, a fact confirmed by District Council 33, the union representing city water workers. The union said it was "deeply shaken" and would cooperate fully with the investigation.
The charges are severe. Krasner said Lewis faces homicide of a law enforcement officer and murder in Seiber's death, plus 10 counts of attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer, attempted murder, possession of an instrument of crime, reckless endangerment and related charges. He is being held without bail.
At a late Saturday morning press conference, Bethel identified Seiber as a 19th District officer, a husband, and the father of a 7-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter. His wife was at his bedside before he died.
"He fought valiantly, but he lost his life today," Bethel said. "I am 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."
Mayor Cherelle Parker, who spoke with both families, said Seiber "paid the ultimate price while sacrificing his own life to protect and serve our city." She added: "A wife is now without her husband. Two babies are without their father."
Parker also used the moment to push for expanded involuntary commitment laws, saying the tragedy underscores the need to address behavioral health crises before they turn deadly. Governor Josh Shapiro said he and the First Lady were praying for the officers and their families.
A procession was held for Seiber following the press conference, and a memorial page has been created in his honor. The investigation continues — including what led Lewis, a city employee with no previously reported red flags in the coverage so far, to open fire on the officers answering a routine call.
Seiber answered a call for help just after midnight Saturday. He never made it home.