Philadelphia Cop Killed in Ambush, Suspect Claims He Fought Back
Suspect in Philadelphia cop killing claims he shot officers because they were white.
2 min read
A suspect in the fatal shooting of a Philadelphia police officer has been arrested after a tense standoff that left one officer dead and another critically injured. Lewis, 35, a Philadelphia Water Department employee, was taken into custody following a nearly hour-long confrontation on the 100 block of North 52nd Street early Saturday.
Officers were called to the scene just after midnight for a report of a man with a gun on a porch. When they arrived, Lewis approached from across the street and began yelling when asked if he lived there. As the officers moved to check for weapons, he opened fire, according to a law enforcement source.
Following the initial shooting, Lewis continued to fire at the officers after they were down, yelling that he had told them to get off his porch. SWAT eventually pulled him from a tree, where he was found armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and a Glock taken from one of the wounded officers. He was taken to Jefferson University Hospital for treatment.
🚨 OMG. The thug who ambushed police officers in Philadelphia just admitted he targeted them because they are WHITE
According to the arrest report, Lewis claimed he shot the officers after they put their hands on him. He told investigators, “I did what I did because they did what they did.” He also stated that he shot them because they were white. When confronted by a black female officer at the hospital, he said, “If it was you that responded we would have just had a conversation.” Lewis added, “They had guns, so I had every right to defend myself.”
Officer Seiber, 40, a father of two and a 10-year veteran of the 19th District, was shot three times and died hours later at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. His partner, a 33-year-old father of five and nine-year veteran, was shot 12 times and remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition.
Commissioner Kevin Bethel described Seiber’s death as “fought valiantly, but he lost his life.” Seiber leaves behind a wife and two children, ages 7 and 3. He had recently celebrated his 10th anniversary with the department and was an Air Force veteran.
Lewis faces charges of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder, assault of a law enforcement officer, and related offenses. He has been denied bail, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 26.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
