Philadelphia police Officer Hector Rodriguez, who was shot 12 times in an ambush that killed his partner, has been released from the hospital two weeks after the attack.
Rodriguez, 33, and Officer Shane Seiber, 40, were responding to a report of an armed man on a porch in West Philadelphia shortly after midnight on October 10.
Police said the officers had only just stepped onto the porch when 35-year-old Eric Lewis opened fire.
Seiber was hit three times and died. Rodriguez sustained 12 gunshot wounds but survived and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Lewis escaped the scene but was arrested following a three-and-a-half-hour manhunt. The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office filed more than 80 charges against him, and additional federal charges were added last week.
Rodriguez left Penn Presbyterian Medical Center on Saturday morning, four days after attending his partner’s funeral.
Medical staff, law enforcement officers and community members gathered outside the hospital to applaud and cheer as Rodriguez was wheeled out on a stretcher to return home to his wife and five children.
Police sources told CBS News that Rodriguez had been “up and walking” during the week before his release. He and his wife attended Seiber’s funeral on Tuesday after Rodriguez insisted on being there.
Philadelphia Police Officer Hector Rodriguez, 33, was shot 12 times while responding to a call on October 10. He survived and was released from the hospital on Saturday
Rodriguez’s partner, Shane Seiber, 40, was shot three times during the same attack and died. His funeral was held four days before Rodriguez left the hospital
Rodriguez is pictured leaving the hospital as a large crowd of supporters applauded and cheered him
First Deputy Commissioner John M. Stanford Jr. said at a press conference that Rodriguez was beginning “his next phase of recovery,” though officials did not provide further details about his condition.
“Two weeks ago, we stood here with tears of sadness as we honored Officer Shane Seiber leaving the hospital and being prepared to be laid to rest,” Stanford Jr. said.
“And two weeks later, we’re here today with tears of joy as we are seeing Officer Hector Rodriguez being released from Penn. It’s a roller coaster ride. It’s heavy, but today is a moment of joy.”
Seiber died in the hospital surrounded by his family shortly after the shooting. He left behind a wife, a seven-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter.
“He fought valiantly, but he lost his life today,” Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said at a news conference hours after the attack. “This is a brutal, senseless, horrific killing.”
After firing a barrage of bullets, Lewis ran down an alley and opened fire on nine additional responding officers, none of whom was struck, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said at a separate news conference.
His escape triggered a massive manhunt, prompting the deployment of SWAT teams and a lockdown in the surrounding neighborhood. Officers eventually found Lewis hiding in a tree at around 3:30 a.m.
Police arrested Lewis and recovered a shotgun and two handguns. One of the handguns belonged to Rodriguez and had been issued by the department; investigators said Lewis took it after the shooting.
Rodriguez and Seiber were allegedly shot by 35-year-old Eric Lewis, who faces more than 80 state charges and five federal charges. Police described the attack as an “ambush”
Officers are pictured at the porch were Lewis is accused of shooting the officers. Police said that when he fled, he fired at nine other officers who were not hit
A more than three-hour manhunt for Lewis ensued after the shooting, as SWAT teams were deployed and the neighborhood was locked down. Lewis was found hiding in a tree
Lewis was charged with homicide of a law enforcement officer and murder for Seiber’s death, along with 10 counts of attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer, attempted murder and other related offenses.
On Thursday, the US Attorney’s Office announced that it also charged the alleged cop-killer with five federal firearm charges.
Those charges include interference with interstate commerce by robbery, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, possession of a firearm by a felon, theft of a firearm that has moved in interstate commerce and possession of a stolen firearm.
Federal prosecutors said that Lewis’s 9mm handgun was a privately manufactured ‘ghost gun’ and that he was not permitted to own firearms because he had previously been convicted of a felony punishable by more than a year in prison.
Court records reveal Lewis has a criminal history stretching back to 2012. In 2015, he admitted guilt to weapons offenses stemming from an incident two years earlier, including carrying a firearm in public.
Lewis was a city employee who worked for the Philadelphia Water Department. The union representing him confirmed his employment to NBC10 Philadelphia.
The union said it was ‘deeply shaken’ by the shooting and that it would fully cooperate with detectives.
Shortly after the shooting two weeks ago, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro released a statement that said: ‘Our law enforcement officers are the very best of us.
Seiber left behind a wife, a seven-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter. The family is pictured
‘They put their lives on the line every day, running towards danger to keep their fellow Pennsylvanians safe, not knowing if they will return home.’
‘We owe them our deepest gratitude,’ the governor added before saying that he had ordered the US and Pennsylvania flags to be at half-staff in honor of Seiber.
Online fundraisers have been organized to support the families of Seiber and Rodriguez.
As of early Monday morning, Seiber’s fundraiser has garnered more than $210,000, and Rodriguez’s fundraiser has earned more than $61,000.
