PHILADELPHIA CREAM — An 18-year-old suspect has been arrested in the shooting death of a Temple University police officer near campus on Saturday night after he apparently tried to intervene in a carjacking, authorities said.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office said the suspect was taken into custody shortly after 7 a.m. Sunday at his home in Buckingham Township by township and Philadelphia police as well as state police. and Federal Marshals.
“Police used the deceased officer’s handcuffs to place the suspect under arrest,” prosecutors said, saying further information would be released by Philadelphia and University Police.
Temple University officials identified the slain officer as Christopher David Fitzgerald, a university police officer since October 2021. Authorities said he was shot shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday and pronounced dead at the Temple University Hospital. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said the officer “attempted to intervene in a carjacking,” The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
“Officer Fitzgerald gave his life to selflessly serve and defend 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 colleague and a friend.
University President Jason Wingard said he was ‘heartbroken’ and called the shooting a ‘heartbreaking reminder of the bravery and daily sacrifices of our police officers to protect our students, our faculty, our staff and our community” as the city and nation face “an unprecedented epidemic of violence.
Ken Kaiser, the university’s senior vice president and chief operating officer, was quoted by the Philadelphia Inquirer as saying this was the first shooting death of a campus officer during his over 30 years at Temple. “It shakes everyone to the core,” he said.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro tweeted that he and First Lady Lori are “devastated for the family of the Temple University police officer who was killed in the line of duty tonight, serving courageous of his community”.
They sent prayers to his family, the Temple police and the university community, he added, saying, “May his memory be a blessing.”
Joseph Regan, president of the Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge, also expressed his condolences.
“There are no words to describe the news that another of our officers has been shot,” Regan said in a statement. “This officer is a hero whose legacy and selfless act will live on in our hearts and memories forever.”
It was the first fatal shooting of an on-duty police officer in Philadelphia since 2020, according to the Inquirer.
ABC News
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