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Who is Eric Lewis? Philadelphia Water Department employee reportedly identified as suspect in shooting of 2 police officers
Eric Lewis, a Philadelphia Water Department employee, is the man accused of shooting two police officers, as per reports.
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Two Philadelphia police officers are in critical condition after a shooting in West Philadelphia early Saturday. Here is what we know about the suspect.
Who is Eric Lewis?
Sources have named Eric Lewis as the alleged shooter. The sources told The Philadelphia Inquirer that Lewis works for the Philadelphia Water Department.
Police Commissioner Kevin J Bethel said police found the gunman in a tree with a shotgun and two handguns. One of the handguns belonged to a police officer. The man was taken into custody by Saturday morning.
What happened?
Two officers from the 19th district went to the 100 block of North 52nd Street in West Philadelphia at about 12:20am on Saturday. They had got reports of a man with a gun. Authorities said the man ambushed them with a shotgun outside his home.
The officers were met with “significant gunfire,” Bethel said at a news conference.
Bethel said a 40-year-old officer was shot three times, and a 33-year-old officer was shot 12 times. Both are in critical condition and were in surgery at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Their names have not been made public.
Two more officers were shot at when they went near the house, Bethel said. Police then called in a SWAT team.
Anaya Brewer, 23, has lived on the block all her life. She said she has never seen this much police presence. She was woken up by the sound of gunshots. “There was shouting and yelling,” she said.
Reactions
Mayor Cherelle L Parker said both officers are “badly wounded” and asked people to pray for them.
“Their families right now are feeling unspeakable pain, but watching this department and those families sticking close together as a village has definitely shown me what the indomitable power of the human spirit is and can mean during times like this,” Parker said.
Councilmember Jamie Gauthier called the shooting a “horrific act of violence,” adding “our city will not accept this as normal.”
Governor Josh Shapiro said on X that his family was praying for the officers. “We are grateful for their courage and service, and we are all hoping for their full and speedy recovery,” he said.
