PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Federal authorities have indicted the suspect accused of killing Philadelphia Police Sgt. Shane Seiber earlier this month.
Officials announced federal firearms and robbery charges against 35-year-old Eric Lewis on Thursday, in connection with the fatal shooting. He now faces the possibility of life in prison.
Lewis is accused of killing Seiber on Oct. 10 as he and his partner responded to a home near 52nd and Race streets.
U.S. Attorney Dave Metcalf said Lewis, who was not allowed to have or use a firearm, used a ghost gun to shoot and kill Seiber and critically wound his partner, Officer Hector Rodriguez.
“He then robbed Officer Rodriguez of his Glock 17 service weapon, and then took his polymer 80 ghost gun that he used to fire upon them, as well as a sawed-off shotgun,” Metcalf said.
Lewis was acquitted several years ago on a murder charge related to a road rage shooting incident. Days after Seiber’s death, District Attorney Larry Krasner pinned that loss on the police department. Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel condemned Krasner's finger-pointing.
Eric LewisPhiladelphia Police Department
“We fight behind the scenes all the time, but we never bring that to the forefront, particularly in a time like that,” Bethel said. “And so it was absolutely unacceptable. We will continue to move forward. We will continue to be a professional organization; you know, I will hold my department accountable when we are wrong. But everybody else should hold them damn selves accountable as well.”
Many legal and criminal justice professionals have questioned why the DA’s office went forward with a case they now say they didn’t have confidence in.
Lewis has also previously been convicted of assault, theft and gun charges, but only served probation.
Seiber, who was buried earlier this week, was a father of two young children and an Air Force combat veteran. He served as a Philly police officer for a decade before he was killed.
Lewis is still charged with murder of a law enforcement officer by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, but the federal case will go forth first.
