Philadelphia Officer Leaves Hospital After Surviving Ambush That Killed Partner
Officer Hector Rodriguez III, who was shot 12 times, was released to cheers two weeks after the incident.
Philadelphia police officer Hector Rodriguez III has been released from the hospital to applause from supporters, more than two weeks after he was shot 12 times in an ambush that killed his partner, Officer Shane Seiber. The Philadelphia Police Department shared photos and video of Rodriguez, 33, sitting on a stretcher as he was wheeled out of Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, accompanied by cheers.
Rodriguez has been with the department for nine years and has been assigned to the 19th District since December 2018. He and Seiber responded to a report of a man with a gun in West Philadelphia on October 10. According to police, the officers encountered a man on the porch, which led to a struggle and both officers being shot. Responding officers found them unresponsive and transported them to Penn Presbyterian.
Seiber, 40, a veteran of the Air Force and a 10-year veteran of the police department, died from his injuries later that morning. He is survived by his wife and two young children.
The suspect, Eric Lewis, 35, faces over 70 criminal charges, including murder and attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. He also faces federal charges, including discharging a firearm during a crime of violence and possession of a firearm by a felon. U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania David Metcalf stated that Lewis, a convicted felon, is prohibited from possessing firearms and faces significant prison time if convicted.
Lewis, an employee of the Philadelphia Water Department, was taken into custody after additional gunfire followed the initial encounter. His preliminary hearing, initially scheduled for Monday, has been continued, with a new date yet to be set.