An 18-year-old man has been arrested and charged in the death of a Temple University police officer who was shot and killed near campus Saturday night, officials said.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s office said Sunday the suspect, Miles Pfeffer, was arrested shortly after 7 a.m. Sunday at his home in Buckingham Township by Philadelphia city police, as well as state and federal police. marshals. “Police used the handcuffs on the fallen officer to place the suspect under arrest,” county prosecutors said.
Officer Christopher Fitzgerald was shot and killed in Philadelphia on Saturday while responding to a robbery, the university said.
Pfeffer will face charges of murder, murder of a law enforcement officer, robbery, carjacking and weapons offenses. Prosecutors said Fitzgerald was shot in the head.
“Pfeffer is also accused of attempting to rob Officer Fitzgerald of his gun and going through his pockets, while the officer was lying on the ground and fatally wounded,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement Sunday. . “Pfeffer is also accused of committing a carjacking a short time later, near the location of the officer’s murder.”
Fitzgerald was rushed to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the university said Saturday.
Temple University officials said Fitzgerald has been on the university’s police force since October 2021.
“Officer Fitzgerald gave his life to selflessly serve and protect this community,” Jennifer Griffin, the university’s vice president for public safety, said in a statement. “This loss leaves a huge hole in all of our hearts. He was a father, a husband, a son, a co-worker, and a friend.”
University president Jason Wingard said he was “saddened” and called the shooting “a heartbreaking reminder of the daily courage and sacrifice of our police officers to protect our students, faculty, staff and community” as the city and the nation deal with “an unprecedented epidemic of violence.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro tweeted that he and his wife are “devastated for the family of the Temple University police officer killed in the line of duty tonight, bravely serving his community.”