Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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Police Officer Shane Seiber, who was fatally shot earlier this month in West Philadelphia, was remembered Tuesday during his funeral service as a humorous and humble father dedicated to his family and serving his country and community.
Jerry Murphy, a sergeant in the 19th Police District, where Seiber was also assigned, first met him 20 years ago, when the pair were stationed at Dover Air Force Base. While both were deployed to Iraq, Murphy connected Seiber to a high school friend, Lisa Harrell, and the two communicated through Myspace.
Lisa and Seiber married in 2015, with Murphy serving as a groomsman. Murphy recalled how Seiber stood by him after he was shot in the line of duty in June. Murphy was one of three officers wounded in an exchange of gunfire with a man in Wynnefield.
“Shane ran blocks through the rain to get to me, arriving at the trauma bay soaked in rain and sweat, just to make sure I was OK,” Murphy told mourners inside the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. “He sat at my bedside night after night, keeping me company, making me laugh and watching over me while I recovered.
“That’s who Shane was. When someone he loved was hurting, he showed up.”
Seiber, 40, of Bensalem, died on Oct. 10, about eight hours after he was shot on the 100 block of N. 52nd Street. He and a partner, Officer Hector Rodriguez III, were responding to a report of a man with a gun, authorities have said.
Eric Lewis, 35, opened fire on the pair during an altercation, according to police. Rodriguez, a 33-year-old father of five, was shot 12 times. While his recovery is far from over, Rodriguez was able to attend Seiber’s funeral.
Lewis, a Philadelphia Water Department employee, allegedly shot in the direction of nine other officers who responded to the scene before being apprehended by members of the PPD’s SWAT team. He is being held without bail, awaiting further court proceedings on a litany of charges, including murder, relating to the shooting.
District Attorney Larry Krasner, who faced criticism over the handling of a 2019 murder case involving Lewis, blamed “arguably criminal” police misconduct for torpedoing the earlier case. PPD leaders responded by saying it was not the right time to assign fault.
Gov. Josh Shapiro seemed to allude to the controversy during his remarks at the cathedral.
“Officer Seiber was a good man, and we should all be united in common purpose to show respect for his service and his sacrifice,” Shapiro said, “and not allow anyone or anything to distract from it by stoking division or pursuing narratives that take away from the dignity of this day and the grief that we all bear witness to.”
Friends and family said they preferred to focus on Seiber’s life, rather than the day he was killed.
He was born in Trenton and lived in Levittown before relocating to Northeast Philadelphia. Seiber loved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and World of Warcraft and practiced jiu-jitsu. He got the nickname “Colgate” for his smile.
Seiber served two tours with the U.S. Air Force in Iraq between 2007 and 2009 before joining the PPD ten years ago. His initial application was rejected, but Lisa resubmitted it without his knowledge, Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said.
He doted on his children, 7-year-old Finn and 3-year-old Emily, those who knew him said. Elected leaders and Bethel stressed that they would continue supporting the family in the weeks, months and years to come.
A GoFundMe to benefit the Seibers, verified by the police department, had raised more than $193,000, as of Tuesday.
Representatives from dozens of law enforcement agencies from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and beyond lined up outside the Center City church on a sunny, breezy autumn day.
As Seiber’s American flag-wrapped casket was loaded into a silver hearse bearing the Air Force symbol, a ceremonial final radio call was broadcast, and there was a flyover featuring a pair of police helicopters.
Bethel posthumously promoted Seiber to sergeant, and Mayor Cherelle Parker committed to creating a municipal internship initiative in his name. The specifics will be developed in partnership with his family, she added.
“No matter how many times I hear someone say, especially someone who wears the uniform, ‘This is part of the assignment, Mayor Parker,” Parker said. “I will never normalize this kind of loss and sacrifice. It is not something that I can ever, or I am willing to ever, get used to.”
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