Community pays tribute to slain Officer Shane Seiber in Northeast Philly

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 Philly.

It was a sad Monday evening for the Philadelphia Police Department, as scores of mourning officers filed into Givnish Funeral Home in Northeast Philadelphia beneath a half-mast flag to say their goodbyes to fallen Officer Shane Seiber.

Police Commissioner Kevin 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. Seiber 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.

The FOP and PPD have set up fundraisers through the Police and Fire Credit Union.

Another viewing will be held Tuesday morning at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. A funeral will follow.

"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.