Philadelphia police Officer Hector Rodriguez III received a hero’s welcome over the weekend when he left the hospital to continue recovering from an ambush that killed his partner and left him wounded by 12 gunshots.
Rodriguez was discharged from Penn Presbyterian Medical Center slightly more than two weeks after the Oct. 10 attack. His partner, Officer Shane Seiber, was killed in the shooting, while suspect Eric Lewis faces more than 70 criminal charges.
Video and photos shared by the Philadelphia Police Department show Rodriguez sitting upright on a stretcher as supporters cheered him through a crowded hospital entrance. He was then taken away in an ambulance.
“This morning, we clapped P/O Hector Rodriguez out of Penn Presbyterian as he left to continue his recovery,” the Philadelphia Police Department wrote on X. “Thank you to his medical team and everyone who has supported Hector, his family and our PPD family. We’ll be beside him every step of the way!”
Philadelphia police officers and other supporters gathered outside Penn Presbyterian Medical Center to see Officer Hector Rodriguez III released and begin the next stage of his recovery. (Philadelphia Police X)
Rodriguez, 33, has spent nine years with the Philadelphia Police Department. He has been assigned to the 19th District since December 2018.
At approximately 12:17 a.m. on Oct. 10, Rodriguez and Seiber responded to a West Philadelphia home after receiving a report of a man with a gun.
Police said the officers encountered a man on the porch, where a struggle began before both officers were shot. Responding officers later found Rodriguez and Seiber unresponsive and transported them to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
Philadelphia Police Officer Hector Rodriguez III left the hospital just over two weeks after surviving 12 gunshot wounds in an ambush that claimed the life of his partner, Officer Shane Seiber. (Philadelphia Police Department)
Seiber, 40, succumbed to his injuries later that morning.
More shots were fired after the initial confrontation, leading police to declare a barricade situation. SWAT officers eventually arrested Lewis, 35.
The fallen officer was identified as Shane Seiber, a 40-year-old father of two and Air Force veteran who served with the Philadelphia Police Department for 10 years. (Philadelphia Police Department)
Lewis, who worked for the Philadelphia Water Department, is charged in connection with the attack in more than 70 counts, including murder, homicide of a law enforcement officer, attempted murder, 10 counts of attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault and terroristic threats. He remains held without bail.
Lewis was scheduled to appear in court Monday for a preliminary hearing, but the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office told Fox News that the proceeding would be continued. A replacement date has not been announced.
Eric Lewis faces 76 charges, including murder, attempted murder, homicide of a law enforcement officer and 10 counts of attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer. (Philadelphia Police Department)
Lewis is also facing federal charges related to the shooting.
A federal grand jury indicted him Thursday on charges including interstate commerce by robbery, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, theft of a firearm that has moved in interstate commerce, and possession of a stolen firearm and stolen ammunition.
A conviction on the federal charges could result in a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison, with a minimum sentence of 10 years.
Officers pay tribute at the funeral of Philadelphia Police Sgt. Shane Seiber on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. Seiber was posthumously promoted after he and his partner were shot in the line of duty on Oct. 10. His partner survived the ambush. (Kyle Mazza/CNP for News Outlet)
“Under federal law, Eric Lewis is not allowed to possess a firearm. He is a convicted felon under federal law. He is certainly not allowed to steal a firearm, and under federal law, he is certainly prohibited from using any firearm to rob, shoot, and kill a police officer, as a result of those actions,” David Metcalf, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, said while announcing the charges Thursday.
“No one attacks law enforcement without facing the consequences,” Metcalf said.
Seiber was an Air Force veteran who served with the Philadelphia Police Department for 10 years. He left behind his wife, a 7-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter.
