Philadelphia mourns Officer Shane Seiber with viewing and funeral at Cathedral Basilica

Philadelphia said goodbye Tuesday to Police Officer Shane Seiber, the 40-year-old who was shot and killed on Oct. 10 while answering a call in West Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that services were planned for Center City's Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

The Inquirer said mourners could begin paying respects at 8:15 a.m., with the liturgy starting at noon and burial to follow privately. Mayor Cherelle L. Parker directed that flags throughout the city remain lowered until Seiber is buried, and some streets were to be closed for the day, the paper said.

The night before, uniformed officers walked in formation from Archbishop Ryan High School down Academy Road to Givnish Funeral Home in Northeast Philadelphia for an initial viewing, according to CBS Philadelphia and 6abc. Seiber's cruiser sat outside the building, and 6abc reported that his wife, Lisa, paused next to it before mourners went in.

Commissioner Kevin Bethel said the department will continue standing by the family, which includes a son, 7, and a daughter, 3. "Everyone talks about his smile," Bethel said, according to 6abc. His obituary, cited by the Inquirer, says friends nicknamed him "Colgate" for that grin.

Born in Trenton, Seiber was raised in Bucks County and made his home in Bensalem, the Inquirer reported. He joined the Air Force in 2006 and deployed to Iraq twice, then entered the city police force in 2016 and finished the academy a year later. 6abc called him a 10-year department veteran. The Inquirer said he served in the 22nd and 19th districts and was the fourth city officer killed on duty within three years.

Police told the Inquirer that Seiber and his partner, Officer Hector Rodriguez III, went to the 100 block of North 52nd Street just before 1 a.m. after a call about someone armed. According to police, a man came up behind them on a porch, scuffled with them and fired, shooting again once they were down. Seiber, struck three times, later died at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Rodriguez, 33, was hit 12 times and survived; Bethel told 6abc he is now up, walking and talking.

Eric Lewis, 35, faces charges including murder, attempted murder on 10 counts, disarming an officer and carrying a gun without a license, the Inquirer reported. Police said a standoff of nearly an hour ended when SWAT snipers spotted him in a tree. Lewis is presumed innocent.

Watching Monday's procession, Northeast Philadelphia resident Barbara Hanhauser told 6abc: "To show this much respect, it is wonderful. He deserved it."

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

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/276