Viewings and funeral set for Philadelphia officer Shane Seiber as thousands run in honor of fallen police

Philadelphia will hold two public viewings and a funeral next week for police officer Shane Seiber, who was fatally shot Oct. 10 in West Philadelphia at the intersection of 52nd and Arch streets, CBS Philadelphia reported.

Mourners can first pay their respects Monday, Oct. 19, at Givnish Funeral Home on Academy Road, where the viewing is scheduled to last from 6 until 9 that evening, according to CBS Philadelphia. An hour beforehand, police commanders plan to march to the funeral home, setting out from Archbishop Ryan High School.

Services will take place the next day, Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. CBS Philadelphia, citing a department news release, said Mayor Cherelle Parker and Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel will join officers from the 19th District and senior commanders in walking the casket to the cathedral starting at 6 a.m. The public may view the casket there again between 8 and 10:30 that morning, with the service beginning at 11:15. A flyover and honor guard salute are planned at noon, after which Seiber will be buried privately.

Seiber, 40, and his partner, Officer Hector Rodriguez, 33, were ambushed, 6abc Action News reported. The station said Rodriguez was struck by 12 bullets and left in critical condition. CBS Philadelphia reported that the shooter is in custody and that, according to its sources, Rodriguez was on his feet and walking as of Friday.

Bethel told 6abc that his officer's recovery is progressing well. "It is miraculous. I think he is a man of strong faith," the commissioner said.

Seiber's obituary, as cited by CBS Philadelphia, says he was a Trenton, New Jersey, native who later made his home in Bucks County and in Northeast Philadelphia. Seiber joined the Air Force in 2006, was assigned to Dover Air Force Base, and deployed twice to Iraq between 2007 and 2009. He became a Philadelphia police officer in 2016. Outside work, he trained in jiu jitsu and was a devoted video gamer who especially liked World of Warcraft.

On Sunday, roughly a week after the shooting, about 2,200 runners and walkers turned out for the Philadelphia Police Foundation's Market Street Run for Blue, now in its eighth year, 6abc reported. The 5-mile route started in Old City and followed Front, Dock, Market and 23rd streets, and organizers set aside the closing mile in memory of officers killed on duty. Bethel completed the course.

Foundation President Maureen Rush said the race helps ensure fallen officers "are never, ever, ever forgotten," according to 6abc. Organizers told the station they expected this year's event to bring in upward of $260,000, which will pay for gear, technology and safety training for police.

Compiled by True News from reporting by CBS Philadelphia and 6abc Action News. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/236