From Philadelphia and suburban Pennsylvania to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like to see WHYY News cover? Let us know! A Philadelphia police officer is dead after a shooting in West Philadelphia Saturday morning. Officer Shane Seiber, 40, was shot three times while responding to a call in West Philadelphia, according to the department. Seiber, a 10-year veteran who served in the 19th District, 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 bravely, but today he lost his life,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said at a news conference Saturday. A 33-year-old officer was shot 12 in the same incident and is in “stable” condition at the hospital, Bethel said, adding that they are “not out of the woods yet.” Philadelphia District Attorney Announces Charges Against Suspect Identified as Eric Lewis Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced Saturday that the suspect, whom he identified as Eric Lewis, 35, was charged with murder of a law enforcement officer in Seiber’s death. Additionally, Lewis is charged with attempted murder 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 nine other officers in addition to the two who were hit. Lewis is charged with nine counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and aggravated assault, the prosecutor said. Lewis will be held without bond, Krasner said, and a preliminary arraignment and bond hearing will be held “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 a 2013 incident, including carrying a firearm in public. “This is a brutal, senseless, horrific murder and multiple shootings of another officer,” Krasner said. Mayor Cherelle Parker said city officials will contact Seiber’s family. “I need you to know that your people of Philadelphia are here. You are not alone. We will be by your side, through it all,” he 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 a previous news conference. Officers arrived at the scene 30 minutes later and were met with “significant gunshots” once they approached the porch, he added. The suspect fired at the officers more times, Bethel said, and the department’s SWAT team responded to restrain the suspect, who was found in a tree and taken into custody. Bethel said he is “very proud of the men and women who serve in this department.” “They consistently put themselves in danger and give their lives for this work,” he said. “And so we ask for those prayers and ask you to support our men and women and what they give for this profession.” Councilman Jamie Gauthier, who represents the 3rd Ward, where the shooting occurred, said at a news conference Saturday afternoon that the shooting was “a tragic and senseless incident.” “We’ve been doing a lot of work in this area, the community, along with the Philadelphia Community Outreach Committee, District 19, District 16, District 18, to discourage drug trafficking and reduce shootings,” he said. “We’ve had such a measurable impact on 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.”
