Eric Lewis, suspect charged with killing Philadelphia police officer, worked for Water Department

Eric Lewis, the suspect charged with killing a Philadelphia police officer, wounding another and shooting at nine other officers early Saturday morning, was a Philadelphia Water Department employee, District Council 33 President Greg Boulware said. 

After Lewis was charged in the shooting, DC 33, the union that represents municipal city employees, said it will cooperate with the investigation.

"District Council 33 is deeply shaken by the tragic shooting involving two Philadelphia police officers, including Officer Shane Seiber, who was killed in the line of duty," the union said in a statement, in part. "We extend our heartfelt condolences to Officer Seiber's family, loved ones, and colleagues, and we offer our sincere well-wishes for the full recovery of the officer who survived. Both officers are public servants and city employees, and this profound loss and suffering are felt across our entire municipal workforce."

Lewis faces a long list of charges in the shooting that happened on the 100 block of North 52nd Street in West Philadelphia around 1 a.m. 

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said Lewis has been charged with homicide of a law enforcement officer, murder, attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer, attempted murder, possession of an instrument of crime, reckless endangerment, aggravated assault and more.

Lewis is being held without bail, Krasner said. Lewis appeared in court Sunday morning and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 26. 

Lewis was hiding in a tree and taken into custody by SWAT after the shooting, police said. He was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and then to the homicide unit, according to police. 

Eric Lewis' criminal history 

Lewis had a previous homicide case thrown out due to a "deeply troubled investigation" that involved another officer's romantic relationship, Krasner said in a prerecorded video Tuesday, Oct. 13.

Lewis was charged with murder and aggravated assault in a road rage double shooting Aug. 31, 2019, but he was ultimately found not guilty. Krasner wrote in a news release that "prosecutors involved did everything humanly possible with a deeply troubled investigation."

"Some of the conduct involving one police officer and one detective is arguably criminal," Krasner said. "A police officer involved in this case turns out to have been in a relationship with the sister of this defendant, and tried, as a result of being in that relationship, to torpedo his own testimony."

The judge who heard the case found Lewis not guilty. Krasner said the judge planned to write to the Philadelphia Police Department's Internal Affairs Division for "review and disciplinary consideration."

"We believe this is the only instance in this distinguished judge's career of his engaging Internal Affairs to address police misconduct; we understand the judge's family and personal history connect to working as sworn law enforcement," Krasner wrote.

Krasner alleged in the video that a police officer involved in the case made up a "complete lie" about anonymous information he received regarding the 2019 shooting. 

Krasner said the police officer made up a person named "Spice" and said they were the killer in the homicide case. 

"This is beyond outrageous," Krasner said. "This is giving false information to law enforcement. It's not the only thing he did to try to get out of participating in the case."

Lewis was charged with assault and gun crimes in 2021, but that case fell through after the key witness died of natural causes, Krasner said.

Krasner said the DA's office is aware of 911 calls and other potential complaints against Lewis and encouraged anyone with information to come forward.

What to know about Philadelphia police shooting

Police responded to a call about a man with a gun on the porch at a West Philadelphia home. When officers arrived at the scene, they approached the home and came under heavy gunfire, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said. 

Two officers were shot, including one who died, and nine others were fired at, police said. 

Police identified the 40-year-old officer who died as Shane Seiber. Bethel said he was a 10-year veteran of the force with two children. His wife and other relatives were by his side at the hospital, he said.

"He fought valiantly, but he lost his life today," Bethel said during a mid-morning news conference. "I want to say I appreciate all of the calls and all the support we received when we left out of [the hospital] this morning.

"We had an immense amount of hope."

The other officer, a 33-year-old, was shot 12 times, Bethel said. The officer has been with the department for nine years and assigned to the 19th District since 2018. 

Police recovered three guns from the scene — two handguns and a shotgun. One of the handguns had been taken from one of the officers who was shot, according to Bethel.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro ordered U.S. and state flags to fly at half-staff in honor of Seiber. 

"Our law enforcement officers are the very best of us," Shapiro said. "They put their lives on the line every day, running towards danger to keep their fellow Pennsylvanians safe, not knowing if they will return home. We owe them our deepest gratitude."