Fellow Advocate –
Officer Shane Seiber should be alive today.
On Saturday morning, Officer Seiber, a 40-year-old, 10-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department and father of two, was fatally shot while responding to a report of a man with a gun in West Philadelphia.
A second officer was shot 12 times and remains hospitalized. Authorities have charged 35-year-old Eric Lewis with murder, attempted murder, and other offenses in connection with the attack.
This didn’t happen out of the blue. Court records reviewed by news organizations show Lewis had a criminal history dating back more than a decade, including prior firearms assault-related and substance abuse charges. What turned years of warning signs into a family-shattering ambush was access to a gun.
While the investigation remains ongoing, Extreme Risk Protection Orders have been effective at preventing shootings in other states because many individuals indicate their intent to cause harm prior to an attack.
Pennsylvania can give families a tool to act before it’s too late. Tell your state legislators to fight for an Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO) law to keep Pennsylvanians safe.
