Temple University remembers slain Sergeant Christopher Fitzgerald 1 year after shooting
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A continued sense of remembrance and emotion can still be felt a year later by students and neighbors after the death of Temple University Sergeant Christopher Fitzgerald.
The 31-year-old father and husband died on Feb. 18, 2023, after he was shot and killed responding to a robbery near Temple's campus.
More than 200 people attended a ceremony Sunday evening at Temple University to mark the first anniversary of his death and dedicate a plaque, which was later hung on a wall for fallen officers at the campus public safety building.
"It is a living nightmare having to wake up every day knowing I will never see his face again," Fitzgerald's widow Marissa Fitzgerald said.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said there are no words to ease the pain.
"This is what we can promise you: This is going to strengthen our resolve. We will improve public safety in Philadelphia," Parker said.
"The plaque is extremely, extremely beautiful. It's an amazing turnout," Marissa Fitzgerald said. "Seeing everybody here, it shows you how much Christopher was loved."
READ MORE: North Philly community mourns loss of Temple officer as memorial grows
Christopher Fitzgerald's death marked the first Temple police officer to lose his life in the line of duty.
Tinicum Township Police Officer Daniel Baxter, a friend and coworker of Christopher Fitzgerald, remembers texting him the night of the shooting asking if he was OK.
"I still haven't deleted it," Baxter said. "Still at the bottom of my text messages ... I don't want to delete it."
Baxter chose to memorialize Christopher Fitzgerald's legacy by getting a matching tattoo of one of his favorite sports teams, the Phillies.
"It reminds me to try to live like Chris," Baxter said.
And he's not the only one who went out of his way to honor Christopher Fitzgerald's dedication to the community.
West Montgomery Avenue was renamed Christopher Fitzgerald Way this summer.
"It's a blessing," Alelisa Stephens said. "He did his job, and to see the community get together, it's a beautiful thing."
Congressmember Brendan Boyle is spearheading an effort to rename the post office on Bustleton Avenue in Northeast Philly for Sergeant Fitzgerald, citing his bravery and commitment to service.
And to further commemorate the legacy he leaves behind, Temple released a tribute video on Sunday.
"I think there's a lot of people in that community and at Temple and in a lot of police departments that still till this day think about Chris," Baxter said. "I think it just shows the type of person he was that a year later there's still a lot of things going on for him."
"The fact that my husband's name is going to be all over the city of Philadelphia, I mean, I know he's up there and he's just like yeah, that's me," Marissa Fitzgerald said.