Family of slain Temple police officer wants death penalty for Bucks County murder suspect

The family of a Temple University police officer killed on the job last year is calling for the death penalty for his alleged murderer, a Bucks County teenager.

"It meets every threshold of the death penalty, and I will tell you that we're waiting with bated breath to hear from the district attorney to see what they decide to do," said Joel Fitzgerald, whose son Christopher was killed, according to WPVI-TV.

Fitzgerald family members spoke following a brief court appearance Tuesday for Miles Pfeffer, 19, who waived his right to a preliminary hearing on murder and related charges.

"He's disgusting. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. No empathy. Just an evil human being. Just an evil individual that has no regard for life," said Marissa Fitzgerald, who wore her late husband’s Temple jacket to court.

Pfeffer, of Buckingham, was 18 when he was charged with the murder of Fitzgerald, 31, in what was the Temple University police department’s first line-of-duty death.

Fitzgerald was on patrol alone when he placed a radio call that he was in pursuit of three individuals dressed in black and masks shortly after 7:12 pm. Feb. 19,. 2023 near the North Philadelphia campus.

The three were in the area of 1800 block of Montgomery Avenue where there have been a series of robberies and carjackings, police said. The males, including Pfeffer, were in the city visiting friends, authorities said.

When Fitzgerald attempted to stop them, the teens ran. Pfeffer's 16-year-old brother and a 17-year-old friend, hid and Fitzgerald continued to pursue Pfeffer into the 1700 block of Montgomery Avenue, roughly one block of the city's 22nd police district, police said.

When Fitzgerald caught up with Pfeffer and ordered him to the ground, the two struggled before Pfeffer allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired six times, including three rounds after Fitzgerald was wounded on the ground.

Pfeffer then unsuccessfully attempted to remove Fitzgerald’s service weapon from its holster, authorities said.

After allegedly shooting Fitzgerald, Pfeffer ran to the 1800 block of Montgomery Avenue where he carjacked a man, threatening to kill him if he didn't hand over his car keys. The car was later recovered in the 1900 block of North 30th Street.

Pfeffer's mother picked him up in the area of North 29th Street and Ridge Avenue, and drove him to her Buckingham home where he was apprehended the next day.

Fitzgerald joined the Temple force in October 2021 after spending time as a corrections officer in Lehigh County and as a member of the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office and housing authority police department.

He was married and the father of four children. He was also known as a community activist participating in the Hood2Hood project, where members of running clubs with primarily male minority members ran through neighborhoods most affected by gun violence to encourage others to pursue positive activities.

The Fitzgerald family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Pfeffer’s parents and his mother’s partner in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court.

According to the lawsuit, Pfeffer's family allegedly knew he was mentally unstable, violent, and that he sought access to guns. The suit alleges Pfeffer conducted a "bomb scare" at a Central Bucks school in 2019.

Pfeffer attended schools in the Central Bucks School District until September 2019. At the time of his arrest he was enrolled in the Middle Bucks Institute of Technology in Warwick. He also attended the New Hope Academy, a private alternative school in 2022.

He is charged with murder, criminal homicide of a law enforcement officer, disarming an officer, robbery, theft, evading arrest, weapons crimes. robbery, theft, terroristic threatening and other charges. His formal arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 13.

The Defender Association of Philadelphia, which is representing Pfeffer, declined to comment on the charges Tuesday, WPVI said.

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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County’s Miles Pfeffer arraigned in Temple officer murder