Temple University Police Sgt. Chris Fitzgerald laid to rest
PHILADELPHIA - A funeral was held for Temple University Police Sergeant Chris Fitzgerald on Friday, marking nearly one week since he was fatally shot while chasing a suspect near campus last week.
A viewing and service was held at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul and will be followed by an interment at the Forest Hills Cemetery in Huntingdon Valley.
Investigators say Fitzgerald, 31, was on patrol alone on Saturday night around 7 p.m. on the 1700 block of Montgomery Avenue when he saw three young people dressed in dark clothes with masks. Authorities say he attempted to investigate their activity due to a rise in robberies in the area.
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Fitzgerald radioed dispatchers that he was in a foot chase with the three individuals. Police say two of the teens being chased - one of whom is the brother of the alleged shooter - hid and was later stopped by another police officer.
According to police, Fitzgerald continued his pursuit of the third person, later identified as 18-year-old Miles Pfeffer, who fired the deadly shots that killed Fitzgerald and shot the officer three more times as he laid on the ground.
Pfeffer was arrested the following day and faces multiple charges, including Murder, Homicide of Law Enforcement Officer, Evading Arrest and related charges.
The husband and father of five is being remembered by his family as a man who was active in the community and church.
"Chris was one of a kind. He wanted to make a difference in the community and he did that by always, always aspiring to be the best," stated Fitzgerald’s friend Joshua Perez.
"Chris would do anything…anything," said Fitzgerald’s cousin, Juan Marrero. "He would go beyond for his community. He had the chance to leave Philadelphia, but he chose to stay here."
The memorial card handed out on Thursday night at a viewing reflected Fitzgerald's posthumous promotion to sergeant by Temple's police department. The university also announced it will cover the cost of his funeral and offered to pay for his children's tuition if they attended Temple University.
A GoFundMe set up for the Fitzgerald family has since raised more than $400,000.
