PHILADELPHIA, PA - A Philadelphia police officer is dead and another is in stable condition after what authorities describe as an ambush-style attack on the unsuspecting officers early Saturday, 6abc reported. Authorities say the suspect, reportedly a city employee, was taken into custody.
Officials say Philadelphia police officers were dispatched at approximately 12:20 a.m. on Saturday, October 10, to the 100 block of North 52nd Street for a report of a man with a gun. Officers reportedly arrived at the address about 30 minutes later and were met with gunfire as soon as they stepped onto the porch.
The two officers were shot a combined 15 times, Fox News reported. A 33-year-old officer was struck 12 times, and 40-year-old Officer Shane Seiber was struck three times. The 33-year-old officer was last reported in stable condition, while Officer Seiber reportedly died of his injuries later that day.
Additional officers, along with a SWAT team, responded to the scene, and authorities say the suspect, later identified as Philadelphia Water Department employee Eric Lewis, opened fire on them, The Post Millennial reported. Luckily, no other officers were injured as the suspect tried to flee.
Authorities set up a search perimeter and eventually found Lewis hiding in a tree. He was reportedly carrying two handguns and a shotgun. One of the handguns belonged to one of the officers shot during the attack.
Officials have not yet released a possible motive for the alleged ambush.
Officer Seiber was a 10-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department and leaves behind a wife and two young children, ages 7 and 3. Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel confirmed Officer Seiber’s wife and loved ones were by his side when he passed away at the hospital.
The officer who was struck 12 times is reportedly a father of five. Bethel said he is stable but “not out of the woods yet.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to honor the fallen officer.
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