The suspect arrested for fatally shooting a Philadelphia police officer is 18 years old

US Marshals in Philadelphia arrested an 18-year-old man Saturday night in connection with the killing of a Temple University police officer.

Miles Pfeffer, 18, was arrested Sunday after he was accused of shooting Chris Fitzgerald, 31, multiple times, including in the head, before searching his pockets and attempting to steal his gun, according to Philadelphia prosecutors .

Around 7 a.m. – less than 12 hours after the shooting – Fitzgerald’s handcuffs were put on him as part of a tradition to honor fallen police officers, according to US Marshals.

Pfeffer was arrested at his family home in Buckingham Township in Bucks County, an affluent Philadelphia suburb.

The prosecutor’s office said Pfeffer was then allegedly involved in a carjacking following the shooting of Fitzgerald, who was a father of four and joined the Temple University police force in 2021.

Miles Pfeffer, 18, was arrested on Sunday after being accused of fatally shooting Temple University officer Chris Fitzgerald, 31, in the head

Chris Fitzgerald is the son of Joel Fitzgerald, who served as Allenstown Police Chief for two years beginning in 2013. He was father of four children

Fitzgerald is the son of Joel Fitzgerald, who was Allenstown Police Chief for two years starting in 2013, after which he left Philadelphia to join the Fort Worth Police Department in Texas.

The shooting happened Saturday night at the intersection of North 17th St. and West Montgomery Avenue.

According to police, Fitzgerald was heard over the radio at around 7:12 p.m., saying he had been chasing the suspect on foot. When Temple University police responded, they found the slain officer with multiple shots to the torso and head.

He was pronounced dead at 7:27 p.m. and police found five 9mm casings at the scene.

Police say Pfeffer, who has a criminal record in Bucks County, was involved in the carjacking of an Infiniti Q60 about a block away.

On Sunday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced that Pfeffer faces charges including murder, murder of a police officer, robbery, stealing an automobile and possession of a criminal instrument.

Pepper was taken to Philadelphia Police Headquarters by a procession of police vehicles wearing Fitzgerald’s handcuffs.

“It’s a tradition we do every time there’s a fallen officer. We felt it was important to commemorate Officer Fitzgerald by putting the suspect back in his handcuffs,” Deputy US Marshal Robert Clark said at the time of the arrest.

Pepper is pictured during his arrest on Sunday morning – less than 12 hours after he was accused of shooting Fitzgerald

The shooting happened Saturday night at the intersection of North 17th St. and West Montgomery Avenue

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced that the charges against Pfeffer include murder, the murder of a police officer, robbery, theft of an automobile and possession of a criminal instrument

A photo posted to Pfeffer’s Instagram account showing him holding a pistol in his waistband

In another photo, he appears to be posing with a bill covering his face and again with a pistol in his waistband. The photo, uploaded just 11 weeks ago, is ironically captioned: “Work smart not hard, make stupid decisions with stupid consequences.”

Various photos of Pfeffer, uploaded to his Instagram account in recent months, show him posing with cash, guns and motorcycles. In one photo, he poses on a motocross bike and has a pistol on display in his pants.

In another photo, he appears to be posing with a bill covering his face and again with a pistol in his waistband.

The photo, uploaded just 11 weeks ago, is ironically captioned: “Work smart not hard, make stupid decisions with stupid consequences.”

Philadelphia Gov. Josh Shapiro tweeted Saturday night, “Lori and I are devastated for the family of the Temple University police officer who was killed on duty tonight and is valiantly serving his community.”

A GoFundMe page was created to raise money for Fitzgerald’s family. As of Sunday afternoon, it had raised nearly $22,000.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk