Philadelphia police Officer Hector Rodriguez III received an emotional send-off over the weekend as he left the hospital to continue recovering from an ambush that killed his partner and left him wounded by 12 gunshots.
Rodriguez walked—or was transported—out of Penn Presbyterian Medical Center more than two weeks after the Oct. 10 attack. His partner, Officer Shane Seiber, was killed in the shooting, while suspect Eric Lewis now faces more than 70 criminal charges.
Images and video released by the Philadelphia Police Department showed Rodriguez sitting upright on a stretcher as he moved through an entrance filled with applauding colleagues and supporters. 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 said in a post 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 as Officer Hector Rodriguez III was released to continue 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 about a man with a gun.
According to police, the officers encountered a man on the porch, where a physical struggle soon began. Both officers were shot. Responding officers later found Rodriguez and Seiber unresponsive and rushed them to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
Philadelphia Police Officer Hector Rodriguez III was released from the hospital just over two weeks after he was shot 12 times during an ambush that killed his partner, Officer Shane Seiber. (Philadelphia Police Department)
Seiber, 40, later died from his wounds that morning.
More shots were fired after the initial confrontation, leading authorities 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 spent 10 years with the Philadelphia Police Department. (Philadelphia Police Department)
Lewis, who worked for the Philadelphia Water Department, is charged in connection with the attack, 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 jailed without bail.
A preliminary hearing scheduled for Monday was postponed, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office told Fox News. Officials have not announced a new date.
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 stemming from 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 had moved in interstate commerce, and possession of a stolen firearm and stolen ammunition.
A conviction on the federal charges could result in a sentence ranging from a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison.
Officers pay their respects 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 Media)
“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 Thursday while announcing the indictment.
“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.