PHILADELPHIA - An outpouring of support from Philadelphia and beyond has followed in the wake of the tragic shooting death of Temple University police officer Chris Fitzgerald.Officer Fitzgerald was fatally shot during a struggle with a suspect on 18th Street and Montgomery Avenue Saturday night.
Authorities later captured the suspect, identified as 18-year-old Miles Pfeffer, at his home in Buckingham Township, over 20 miles away from where the deadly shooting occurred.
Family, friends and community members have visited a growing memorial to Officer Fitzgerald in the days since his death. Joshua Perez, a friend who spoke to FOX 29, called Fitzgerald "one of a kind" and described him as someone who "wanted to make a difference in the community." Fitzgerald, 32, was a husband and a father to four children.
A GoFundMe page that was started to help support his grieving family has topped $300k. "What he did was he embodied that balance of being a good police officer and at the same time loving and respecting people of an at-risk community," Pastor Juan Merrero told FOX 29.