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Thousands turn out to honor slain Temple University Police Sgt. Chris Fitzgerald
Thousands, including officers from across the United States, turned out to pay their respects to Temple University Police Sgt. Chris Fitzgerald, shot and killed in the line of duty.
CENTER CITY - As Sgt. Chris Fitzgerald was laid to rest Friday, so many people from so many places came to pay their respects, there wasn’t enough room inside the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul for everyone. So much sadness enveloped the Parkway for a man described as caring, kind and compassionate.
"He has always been an openhearted, wonderful, loving child, teenager, man, father, nephew," Sgt. Fitzgerald’s aunt, Diane Clark, said.
Seeing Sergeant Fitzgerald’s family arrive for his funeral brought tears to people who never even met him. Like many area residents, Kathleen Serano says she felt sick about what happened to the Temple University police officer and just had to pay her respects.
"My heart is broken for all our policemen and that family…the children, his mother and father, his wife. It’s so senseless," Serano said.
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"He’s a kid! He’s a kid! I think that’s what’s so heavy. He’s a kid. He was 31-years-old. It’s just so heartbreaking," explained Miss Blackwell.
Hundreds of officers from around the country also honored Sgt. Fitzgerald, including 25 from Fort Worth, Texas, who worked with his father, Joel, when he was police chief there, for five years.
"Any time we lose one of us, it hits home pretty well, so it’s never a good deal, but the support is amazing," Fort Worth Officer, Kristopher Taylor, said.
"We want to be here to honor his ultimate sacrifice to the people that he served and also to honor the profession of law-enforcement to honor our badge," Sergeant Alan Ma, of the Denver Police Department, stated.
As his body left the cathedral, he received a hero’s farewell, from so many giving his life doing a job he loved.
"If his soul could change the world, we would live in a beautiful place," his aunt, Diane Clark, added.
A GoFundMe set up for the Fitzgerald family has since raised more than $400,000.