PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Hundreds of mourners paid their respects to the police officer, husband and father who was killed in the line of duty earlier this month in West Philadelphia.
Fellow officers lined up before dawn on Tuesday as Officer Shane Seiber’s body arrived at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Center City. A procession transferred him from the funeral home to police headquarters, then the cathedral.
A horse-drawn carriage carried the officer’s flag-draped casket, escorted by Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, top police, city officials and Seiber’s colleagues in the 19th District.
A public viewing at the cathedral will be followed by words of remembrance, final police honors, a funeral service, and private interment.
The night before, mourning officers filed into Givnish Funeral Home in Northeast Philadelphia beneath a half-mast flag to say their goodbyes. Bethel said this is the most difficult part of the job.
“It gets harder. When I came on the job as a young kid, I worked with my colleagues. But today when I see these men and women — they’re my children, many of them — and so it takes on a different layer for me now,” he said.
The 19th Police District alone has seen five cops shot this year, including Seiber. The 40-year-old was shot three times early in the morning on Oct. 10 while he and his partner, Hector Rodriguez, were responding to a call about an armed man on a porch in West Philly. Rodriguez was also shot and seriously wounded. He is critical but stable in the hospital; Bethel said he’s doing well.
The alleged gunman, 25-year-old Eric Lewis, is charged with murder, attempted homicide and other offenses.
Seiber spent 10 years on the force. Before that, he was a combat veteran in the Air Force. He is survived by his wife and two young children.
Officer Shane Seiber’s family GoFundMe
The Fraternal Order of Police and Philadelphia Police Department have set up fundraisers through the Police and Fire Credit Union.
"This is why we come out in such a way, to make sure his family knows that he was loved, that he was appreciated, and that we will continue to support his family moving forward," Bethel said.
