PHILADELPHIA
A man faces murder and other charges in the death of a Temple University police officer who was shot near campus Saturday night, authorities said.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said 18-year-old Myles Pfeffer will be charged with murder, murder of a law enforcement officer, robbery, carjacking and weapons offenses in the death of Officer Christopher Fitzgerald, who prosecutors say was shot in the head while responding. to an incident near campus.
“It is alleged that Pfeffer also attempted to rob Officer Fitzgerald of his gun and went through his pockets while the officer was on the ground fatally wounded,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said Sunday. “Pfeffer is believed to have committed a carjacking shortly thereafter not far from where the officer was killed.”
The Bucks County Prosecutor’s Office said Pfeffer was taken into custody shortly after 7 a.m. Sunday at his home in Buckingham Township by city and Philadelphia police, as well as state police and federal marshals. “Police used the handcuffs on the fallen officer in the arrest of the suspect,” county prosecutors said.
Temple University officials said Fitzgerald had been with 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 our hearts. He was a father, a husband, a son, a colleague, and a friend.”
University President Jason Wingard said he was “heartbroken” and called the shooting “a terrible reminder of the daily courage and sacrifices of our police officers to protect our students, faculty, staff and community” as the city and country deal with “an unprecedented epidemic violence”.
The Philadelphia Inquirer quoted Ken Kaiser, the university’s senior vice president and chief operating officer, as saying it was the first death of a campus employee in his more than 30 years at Temple. “It just shakes everyone to the core,” he said.
