Slain Philadelphia Police Officer Shane Seiber was remembered Tuesday as a hero, not for the way he died, but for the way he lived.
A devoted husband and father of two small children living in Bucks County, who didn't give up after the Philadelphia Police Academy rejected his application.
A U.S. Air Force combat veteran who served two tours of duty in Iraq where he freed mice from certain death in sticky traps. A devoted friend who camped out at the hospital bedside of another police officer for days after he was shot.
A 10-year veteran of the Philadelphia police force who lightened the mood of a room simply by entering it and flashing his Hollywood smile and a sense of humor that made difficult shifts easier for his fellow officers.
Before he was
fatally shot three times earlier this month on duty, Seiber, 40, approached his superiors about volunteering as a field training officer to mentor up-and-coming rookie officers.
At his funeral Tuesday at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia speakers including Philadelphia’s Mayor, Pennsylvania’s governor and close friends honored a man who they say treated people the way that he wanted to be treated.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel called Seiber someone who did not seek out public recognition for his efforts, but preferred to be seen as a dependable public servant helping protect the community.
Bethel announced that Seiber had been posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant and he presented his widow, Lisa, with a Purple Heart and Medal of Honor eliciting rounds of applause from the hundreds who packed the service.
Lisa Seiber played a critical role in her husband’s career. She secretly — and successfully— reapplied to the Philadelphia Police Academy on his behalf in 2016 after he was initially rejected, Bethel said.
The commissioner told Seiber’s wife that he knew the honors couldn’t bring her husband home, but that one day, when their children are older, they can see how remarkable of a man their father was.
“The difference he made will outlive him,” Bethel said. “In our darkest moments, he reminded us we do not stand alone.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro called Seiber “truly the very best of us.”
“He had a heart for service and cared deeply about making other lives better,” he added. “Officer Seiber was a good man and we should all be united in common purpose to show respect for his service and his sacrifice.
Other speakers echoed the governor’s words describing Seiber as kind, compassionate, courageous, devoted, virtuous, selfless, joyful, proud, and humble were words spoken over and over to describe the officer.
Also mentioned was his seemingly ever-present toothy smile — which earned him the nickname “Colgate.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him cry,” Seiber’s uncle, Dan Farris said.
Philadelphia Police Officer Quishanna Lee-Cosme said that as much as Seiber loved police work, his greatest loves were his wife and children who were “not a footnote in his story.”
“As your babies grow I hope you hear again and again about his smile, his generosity and the way he made people feel seen,” Lee added.
His children will learn that their father’s legacy was not just medals and photos, but his generous, loving and courageous spirit that will continue.
“His watch has ended, but his love is eternal,” Lee said to the pack cathedral about her friend. “You are now where we all hope to be one day."
Another friend, Philadelphia Police Sgt. Gerry Murphy, said that Seiber had a way of bringing people together, making ordinary moments unforgettable and giving people stories they’ll be telling for years.
Murphy met Seiber in 2006 when they were stationed at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Before their second Iraq deployment in 2008 he introduced Seiber to a high school friends named Lisa. He thought they’d hit it off. He was right.
“They talked every day and by the time we returned from Iraq in 2009 it felt like they had known each other forever,” Murphy said. “Lisa was there waiting for him when we came home and from that moment on they were inseparable.”
The couple married in 2015 and they moved into their Bensalem home in 2022, which is not far from where Seiber grew up in Levittown and Langhorne. Their son, Finn, is 7 and daughter, Emily, is 3.
Murphy recalled how Seiber was a man who always made room for kindness without being asked, even in the most stressful situations, like holding a bedside vigil as Murphy recovered from a gunshot wound earlier this year. Another time he rescued a duckling he found in the middle of a Michigan road.
“He cared about the vulnerable, whether they were people he loved, or creatures most of us would never have given a second thought,” Murphy said. “That kindness, that courage, that humility, and that enormous heart are part of the legacy.”
The funeral service capped two days of official mourning for Seiber, who was killed in the line of duty on Oct. 10after he and his partner,Hector Rodriguez IIIresponded to a report of an armed man at a West Philadelphia home.
The homeowner, Eric Lewis, 35, allegedly was armed with a gun when he came up from behind and ambushed the officers as they knocked on his front door. A struggle ensued during which both officers were shot multiple times.
After a standoff, Lewis was taken into custody; he is being held without bail on homicide of a law enforcement officer and 10 counts of attempted homicide of a law enforcement officer and related charges.
Rodriguez, a father of five, who was shot 12 times, survived. He has recovered enough that he was able to attend Seiber’s funeral services with his wife on Tuesday.
The services started Oct. 19, with a Commander’s March from Archbishop Ryan High School to Givnish Funeral Home in Northeast Philadelphia for the first of two public viewings.
At 6 a.m. Tuesday, a horse-drawn funeral carriage brought his casket down Broad Street to the cathedral followed by a walking procession of hundreds of law enforcement and other dignitaries.
As the procession marched down Broad Street toward the Ben Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia Transit police officers were among those lining up and saluting the fallen officer.
A second public viewing preceded funeral services followed by ceremonial honors including a Philadelphia helicopter flyover and honor guard salute before Seiber was taken to a private interment at a cemetery in Bucks County.
Hundreds of enforcement officers wearing dress blues and representing dozens of departments and agencies from Philadelphia, its surrounding counties, New Jersey and Delaware and as far as Pittsburgh and Boston entered the cathedral.
At a side entrance, police department honor guards stood at attention as Seiber’s family arrived and entered the church.
Behind them were the survivor families of other recently fallen police officers, including Philadelphia Police officer Charles Cassidy and Temple University Police officer Christopher Fitzgerald.
Seiber is the fourth Philadelphia police officer killed in the line of duty since 2023, according to the department.
Outside the cathedral, a large projection screen displayed a photo slideshow that painted a picture of Seiber as a father, husband and friend enjoying a life through simple, everyday moments shared with those who loved.
Following the service, pallbearers exited the cathedral carrying the fallen officer’s casket, flanked by members of the Philadelphia Police honor guard and greeted outside by the thousands of law enforcement officers standing in salute along 18th Street and throughout Sister Cities Park.
Under a bright blue sky, final honors were delivered, ceremoniously marking the loss of Seiber with a military rifle salute, the playing of taps, and a police helicopter flyover.
His wife, Lisa, stood in tears in front of her husband’s casket.
And a final call broadcasted over a police radio went unanswered by Officer Seiber, a sullen honor given to those who lose their lives in the line of duty. The dispatcher called Seiber one last time but not answer would come.
The procession made its way to Bucks County. Burial will be private.
Crime and Courts Reporters Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com; Reporter Michele Haddon can be reached at mhaddon@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Slain Philadelphia officer Shane Seiber honored as hero for life he led
