Philly water dept. employee charged with ~80 counts after killing officer, wounding another in West Philly ambush

A Philadelphia Water Department employee opened fire on two police officers responding to a routine gun call in West Philadelphia just after midnight Saturday, killing one and wounding the other before fleeing, climbing a tree, and surrendering to SWAT — leaving a city shaken and a family without a husband and father.

Eric Lewis, 35, now faces approximately 80 charges, including homicide of a law enforcement officer, murder, and 10 counts each of attempted homicide and attempted murder, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced Saturday afternoon. Lewis is being held without bail; a preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 26.

Officer Shane Seiber, 40, a 10-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, was pronounced dead at approximately 9 a.m. Saturday at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. His death came several hours after he and his partner from the 19th Police District were dispatched to the 100 block of North 52nd Street, near Race Street, following a report of a man with a gun on a porch there, Metro Philadelphia reported. He was shot three times. His partner, a 33-year-old father of five whose name has not been released, was struck 12 times and remained hospitalized over the weekend in stable condition, though Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said he is 'not out of the woods.'

He fought valiantly, but he lost his life today. His wife was able to be by his side before he passed, as well as his family.— Kevin Bethel, Philadelphia Police Commissioner

The call came in just after 12:15 a.m. What the two officers found when they arrived was not a man peacefully standing on a porch — Lewis is accused of shooting both officers during a struggle. After the initial shooting, Lewis ran and fired at nine additional responding officers in a nearby alley, hitting none of them, before climbing a tree to hide. SWAT units eventually located and apprehended him there, according to Metro Philadelphia and Fox 29. Three firearms were recovered at the scene: two handguns and a shotgun. One of the handguns was a Glock taken from the wounded officer, according to Metro Philadelphia.

This community is an area where our community outreach personnel frequently go and this community right now is shaken by the horrific actions that occurred here last night.— Larry Krasner, Philadelphia District Attorney

Left behind are Seiber's wife, a 7-year-old son, and a 3-year-old daughter. The Delaware Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge, as reported by Metro Philadelphia, said that prior to joining the Philadelphia Police Department ten years ago, Seiber had served in the Air Force at a base in Dover.

District Council 33 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — Lewis's union — verified that he was a Philadelphia Water Department employee and a union member. The union issued a statement distancing itself from the violence.

District Council 33 does not condone violence in any form, under any circumstances. This act of violence is not reflective of our values, our mission, or the conduct we expect from our members.— District Council 33, AFSCME

The union also extended condolences to Seiber's family and well-wishes to the surviving officer, noting that both officers were fellow city employees. According to Just the News, the union said, 'This profound loss and suffering are felt across our entire municipal workforce.'

Mayor Cherelle Parker, responding to the shooting, said she plans to travel to Harrisburg to seek legislation expanding involuntary commitment laws — not only to cover severe mental illness but also substance use disorder and other behavioral challenges that she said could interfere with public safety. She pointed to a mass shooting in Erie the previous day that left nine people dead, including the gunman, as further evidence that existing laws are insufficient.

We can no longer act as if the laws we have on the books are enough.— Cherelle Parker, Mayor of Philadelphia

Metro Philadelphia reported that the public defender's association, which is representing Lewis, did not respond to a request for comment. Authorities have not detailed a motive or what specifically led to the shooting.

Why it matters — A Philadelphia police officer is dead, another critically wounded, and a city employee faces roughly 80 charges after an ambush that drew in 11 officers — raising urgent questions about public safety and the laws meant to prevent such violence.

Sources differ on Number of times Seiber was shot: Shot three times (metrophiladelphia.com, fox29.com) vs Number of wounds not specified for Seiber specifically (justthenews.com)

Reported by fox29.com, justthenews.com, metrophiladelphia.com