Temple officer shooting latest: Memorial grows, questions remain
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- City leaders, including Mayor Jim Kenney, gathered Tuesday morning to release new details about the deadly shooting of Temple police officer Christopher Fitzgerald.
The memorial for Fitzgerald is growing at the corner of North 17th Street and West Montgomery Avenue in North Philadelphia.
The married father of four was shot and killed Saturday night while trying to stop 18-year-old robbery suspect Miles Pfeffer, who's now charged with murder.
"This is a tragedy that has unnerved our city," Kenney said, "especially Temple University and the surrounding community who remain in our thoughts and prayers."
"This is a city that is shook, and this is city that is suffering right now because I really good person is gone," District Attorney Larry Krasner said.
City leaders, police officials and prosecutors expressed their condolences to Fitzgerald's family.
They detailed information about the investigation, including the fact this officer who was shot multiple times was patrolling alone Saturday night when he initiated a pedestrian investigation.
Investigators at a news conference at police headquarters Tuesday morning say Fitzgerald stopped a group of three people dressed all in black and wearing masks. They ran from him.
Fitzgerald eventually caught up with Pfeffer when a struggle began. That's when police claim Pfeffer pulled out a handgun and shot Fitzgerald and then continued to shoot him while wounded and on the ground.
Pfeffer then carjacked a man and fled the area.
As first reported exclusively by CBS Philadelphia, those with Pfeffer were taken into custody by an alert 22nd District police corporal and provided investigators with information, including Pfeffer's cellphone, which helped law enforcement ping his location in Buckingham Township.
Pfeffer, his brother and another man were in the area of Temple University visiting friends, authorities said.
Police said they have not recovered the murder weapon.
Sources say Pfeffer told investigators he destroyed it in a fire pit.
Prosecutors said they recovered a number of weapons from the Buckingham Township home.
Pfeffer was charged Monday with the murder of a law enforcement officer.
Temple University Jason Wingard conceded their current approach to student safety is not working, saying violence can't be solved alone.
"The truth is, I can't uphold my mandate, we can't fulfill our mission if we cannot keep our students safe," Wingard said. "Our academic community needs the safety, needs the protection that our university deserves, and we can't fulfill our mission if we don't do it."
"We are working extremely hard at Temple University to keep everything we can to keep our communities safe," Wingard added. "We are advocating and allocating more resources, more programs, new initiatives but frankly, it's just not enough. We're not able to get it done. We can't do it by ourselves."
Wingard said they are determined to hold themselves accountable.
After a few questions, Temple University officials, including Vice President for Public Safety Jennifer Griffin, were quickly escorted to a waiting elevator and refused to take reporters' questions.
Temple University officials quickly exited a press conference this morning refusing to take additional questions from reporters, while surrounded by security and staffers. They did not address the elephant in the room: their own police union’s warning about staffing levels. https://t.co/e1KkspaCcX
— Joe Holden (@JoeHoldenCBS3) February 21, 2023
The president and vice president of @TempleUniv rushed to a waiting elevator, with staff heard telling them they’d gather their personal belongings that were left behind.
— Joe Holden (@JoeHoldenCBS3) February 21, 2023
CBS Philadelphia has reported repeatedly on warnings from the Temple University Police Association about crisis staffing levels for officers and what the union president described as mandatory overtime.
At one point last year, the union said officers had racked up 20,000 hours of OT, and that a refusal to work overtime was met with retribution.
The university at the time said it couldn't verify that overtime figure.
The police union has been critical of the university warning officer safety was in jeopardy with current staffing levels.
The university officials would not stop to take additional questions.
As for the investigation, police would not comment on the possibility of additional arrests.
CBS Philadelphia confirmed Pfeffer is in segregated housing at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, held without bail.