Officer killed, another injured in West Philly shooting; suspect ID’ed as water department employee

A Philadelphia police officer was killed and another was critically wounded after authorities said a man ambushed them with a shotgun early Saturday outside his West Philadelphia home. The suspect, who continued to shoot at responding officers before being arrested, is a city employee.

Shane Seiber, a 40-year-old father of two, died from several gunshot wounds, and his colleague, a 33-year-old man with nine years on the force, is fighting for his life, Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said.

Bethel said Seiber, a 10-year veteran of the department, was struck three times and died at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center shortly after 9 a.m. His colleague, who was shot 12 times, remained hospitalized at Penn Presbyterian in stable condition but was “not out of the woods yet,” the commissioner said.

The officers responded to the 100 block of North 52nd Street shortly after midnight Saturday following reports of a man with a gun on his porch. As the officers approached the house, a man later identified as Eric Lewis began shooting at them, striking each officer multiple times, Bethel said.

In the moments after shooting the officers, the gunman took one of their weapons, Bethel said. And when additional officers rushed in, he fired at them, though no one else was struck, Bethel said.

The SWAT team responded and secured the area, and the gunman was later located in a tree, armed with the shotgun, a handgun, and the stolen police Glock, Bethel said. He was taken into custody.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said at a news conference Saturday afternoon that Lewis shot at nine other officers. Krasner called the shooting a “brutal, senseless, horrific killing.”

Lewis faces charges of murder, attempted murder, disarming a law enforcement officer, and related crimes, Krasner said. He will appear in court for a preliminary arraignment in the coming days and will be held in jail without bail, the district attorney said. It was not immediately clear if Lewis had an attorney.

Dozens of members of the police department and city leadership gathered outside Penn Presbyterian Medical Center on Saturday morning and into the afternoon, mourning and comforting one another under brisk, blue skies. Standing alongside Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, Bethel appeared shaken as he asked for the city’s prayers and announced the death of one of his officers.

Seiber, he said, was a married father of a 7-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter. His wife and other loved ones were at his side before he died.

“He fought valiantly, but he lost his life today,” Bethel said.

“I continue to ask the community to keep him and his family in their prayers,” he said. “This will be a period of mourning for us, but we will stand tall as a department. We can get through this together.”

Gov. Josh Shapiro said on X he had ordered flags be lowered to half-staff in Seiber’s honor.

“Our law enforcement officers are the very best of us,” he said. “They put their lives on the line every day … not knowing if they will return home. We owe them our deepest gratitude.”

Parker said Seiber sacrificed his life to “protect and serve our city,” calling his decision to become a police officer “noble and courageous.”

“A wife is now without her husband [and] two babies are without their father,” she said. “Family, friends, and colleagues … are feeling a deep-rooted sense of loss that words are … inadequate to explain.”

The mayor vowed to work to prevent such a tragedy from happening again, saying her administration will seek to expand “involuntary commitment laws” to cover severe mental health crises and substance use disorders that could “interfere with Philadelphia’s ability to keep itself safe.”

It was not immediately clear if the alleged shooter had exhibited signs of mental illness or substance use, and Krasner declined to answer when asked about that.

Lewis has a criminal history dating back more than a decade, court records show. Krasner said he had no felony convictions that would have prevented him from owning a firearm.

In 2012, he was charged with theft and receiving stolen property. He was later convicted and sentenced to two years’ probation. Common Pleas Court Judge Sean Kennedy also ordered Lewis to undergo substance abuse treatment.

He was arrested again the following year and charged with carrying firearms in public and simple assault, both misdemeanors. He was convicted in 2015 and was sentenced to five years’ probation. A judge ordered Lewis to receive a drug and alcohol assessment and a mental health evaluation.

Toward the end of his supervision, in 2018, he was convicted of disorderly conduct for fighting and was sentenced to a year’s probation, as well as an additional three years of court supervision in the firearms case.

Lewis, 35, is a trades helper for the city water department. City payroll records show that Lewis has worked for the department since 2024 and is paid $47,746 annually.

District Council 33 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents city workers, said in a statement Saturday that the crimes Lewis is charged with do not represent the union’s standards.

“District Council 33 does not condone violence in any form, under any circumstances,” union president Greg Boulware said. “This act of violence is not reflective of our values, our mission, or the conduct we expect from our members.”

City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who represents West Philadelphia, called the shooting “incredibly tragic” at the afternoon news conference and underscored the need for more mental health services.

“I don’t know what in particular was going on with the suspect, but I think we all can agree that this is not normal or acceptable behavior,” she said. “Just a tragedy all around for our city.”

Anaya Brewer, 23, said she has lived her entire life on the block of North 52nd Street and had never seen a police presence like this.

Brewer said she was awakened by the sound of gunshots.

“There was shouting and yelling,” she said.

Another resident, Leannett Hill, said she had not heard the shooting and was stunned to see a video of her block on the news.

“This is a nice block,” said Hill, who has lived in the neighborhood since 2024. “Pretty much everyone gets along on this block.”

Her daughter, Camilla Vanessa Stephenson, was fatally shot in 2011, and Hill said she empathized with the officers’ families.

“It’s a hurtful feeling, knowing your family members are shot and might die,” Hill said.

Staff writer Anna Orso contributed to this article.