The family of slain Philadelphia police officer Chris Fitzgerald, who was killed in the line of duty, is speaking out about their loss as more details about his alleged killer reveal he was already known to police.
“Nobody deserves to die like that. The city has to do better,” Chris Fitzgerald’s widow Marissa told WPVI. The family laid Fitzgerald to rest on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023.
Fitzgerald, 31, was a Temple University police officer. He allegedly was gunned down on Feb. 18 by Miles Pfeffer, 18. Fitzgerald was trying to stop three people suspected of a crime near the university when he was shot multiple times in the face.
“Philadelphia lost a champion. They lost somebody who you want working in this city to try to help correct some of the ills that we see,” said Chris Fitzgerald’s father, Joel Fitzgerald.
Pfeffer, the man accused in the shooting, faces charges of murder, murder of a law enforcement officer, robbery, carjacking and weapons crimes.
The 18-year-old was known to area police for his reported criminal history. On Nov. 16, 2021, Pfeffer was one of three students who used an online reporting tool claiming a homemade pipe bomb was set to detonate in a school bathroom at Central Bucks South, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Another student reportedly planned to bring a gun to the school that day. The threats were later deemed unfounded.
In February 2022, authorities charged Pfeffer with terroristic threats and making false reports. He received one month of probation, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported
A student at the school who claims to know Pfeffer was surprised to learn he is the alleged gunman.
“I did not expect it. I was shocked he was capable of something like this,” Makayla McLaughlin said.
According to news reports, Pfeffer bounced between his parents’ homes. His mother lived on a 15-acre farm in Bucks County Pennsylvania. According to U.S. Census data, Bucks County has around 640,000…
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