An hour-long standoff between an armed man and law enforcement concluded in the death of a police officer in Philadelphia and the arrest of the suspected shooter.
Officer Shane Seiber and one other officer responded to a neighborhood in the 100 block of North 52nd Street in West Philadelphia around 12:52 a.m. after a person complained about a gunman in the area on Saturday, October 10.
As officers knocked on 35-year-old Eric Lewis’ house, the latter arrived from behind and asked them about the issue. The conversation quickly turned into a heated altercation as officers approached to check whether Lewis was armed, per The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The suspect shot both officers and later attacked the reinforcements who came to check on the responding officers.
Lewis was arrested after an hour-long standoff with the police and taken to Jefferson University Hospital to get his gunshot wounds treated.
While in the hospital, the suspect allegedly told a Black officer, “If it was you that responded, we would have just had a conversation.
Lewis reportedly implied that he had shot Seiber and his fellow officer because they were white.
However, Lewis later told the police that he shot the two because “they had guns and he had every right to defend himself.”
40-year-old Seiber, who was a 10-year veteran in law enforcement, was pronounced dead after being shot three times.
His 33-year-old partner and a nine-year veteran, who was shot almost 12 times, is receiving treatment at the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
After shooting the officers, Lewis allegedly climbed up a tree at the back of his house and shot at the SWAT officers who came around 1:00 a.m. to check on Seiber and the other officer.
The gunman has been charged with 10 counts, including murder, attempted murder of multiple police officers, disarming a law enforcement officer, and possession of a firearm without a license.
He is currently held without bond at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility.
40-year-old Seiber, who was a 10-year veteran in law enforcement, was pronounced dead after being shot three times.
His 33-year-old partner and a nine-year veteran, who was shot almost 12 times, is receiving treatment at the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
After shooting the officers, Lewis allegedly climbed up a tree at the back of his house and shot at the SWAT officers who came around 1:00 a.m. to check on Seiber and the other officer.
The gunman has been charged with 10 counts, including murder, attempted murder of multiple police officers, disarming a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm without a license.
He is currently held without bond at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility.
Lewis, who worked as a tradesman with the Philadelphia Water Department for less than two years, was allegedly charged with possession of firearms and drugs, assault and theft in 2012, per 6ABC.
Moreover, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner found that the suspect was also charged with murder in an August 2019 road rage incident but was acquitted due to a lack of evidence.
“The excellent prosecutors involved did everything humanly possible with a deeply troubled investigation. A highly respected judge was forced to find Lewis not guilty due to that troubling and deficient investigation,” Krasner said.
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This article originally appeared at Accused Philadelphia cop killer shot officer for being white
