PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia jury has convicted a suburban man in the killing of a Temple University police officer who was shot six times after giving chase during a carjacking investigation last year.
On Wednesday, jurors found 20-year-old Miles Pfeffer guilty of the February 2023 murder of Officer Christopher Fitzgerald. The verdict came after less than 30 minutes of deliberations, following a trial that focused largely on whether the shooting was intentional.
Fitzgerald, 31, was married with four children. Prosecutors described him as “the kind of police officer that we want in our city,” and emphasized the importance of securing justice for his death. “Our society depends on the police to function,” said Assistant District Attorney Bob Wainwright, who prosecuted the case.
Pfeffer was sentenced to life in prison without parole, along with additional decades for robbery and related gun crimes.
During the trial, prosecutors said Fitzgerald began chasing Pfeffer, his brother, and a friend after spotting them dressed in black and wearing masks in an area plagued by robberies and carjackings. While the other two hid, Fitzgerald caught up with Pfeffer and ordered him to the ground. A struggle ensued, during which Pfeffer pulled out a gun and shot the officer six times, including at point-blank range.
The confrontation was captured on security camera footage, which prosecutors presented in court. Pfeffer’s own brother testified against him, further strengthening the prosecution’s case. Investigators also recovered Pfeffer’s DNA from a carjacked vehicle tied to the incident.
Defense attorneys argued that Pfeffer, then 18, panicked and did not act with premeditation. But prosecutors contended that video evidence of Pfeffer standing over the fallen officer and firing proved his intent.
Pfeffer was arrested hours later at his mother’s upscale farm property in Buckingham, Bucks County.
Though some, including Officer Fitzgerald’s father — a former Philadelphia officer now serving as head of the Denver transit police — and the Temple University Police Association, called for the death penalty, District Attorney Larry Krasner declined to pursue capital punishment, citing his opposition to the practice.
The case has drawn widespread attention in Philadelphia, highlighting both the dangers police officers face and ongoing concerns over violent crime in the city.
