City Council renames block after slain Temple Police Sgt. Christopher Fitzgerald

Philadelphia City Council on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution to rename the 1700 block of West Montgomery Avenue after Temple University Police Sgt. Christopher Fitzgerald, who was fatally shot there on Feb. 18.

The resolution — “to honor the life and sacrifice” of the 31-year-old Fitzgerald — was introduced last week by City Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. on behalf of Council President Darrell L. Clarke, who represents the district but is barred by Council rules from introducing bills and resolutions.

Fitzgerald, who was posthumously promoted from officer to sergeant, “quickly became known by his colleagues for his hard work and dedication to his oath to keep the public safe,” the resolution states.

“Hailing from a legacy of public safety, his parents, Joel Fitzgerald Sr. and Pauline Fitzgerald, are both career law enforcement professionals,” the resolution says, adding that Sgt. Fitzgerald served at Temple and the Philadelphia’s Sheriff’s Office, for the Board of Election offices during the 2020 election, and with the Philadelphia Housing Authority as a corrections officer.

Fitzgerald was an active member of Swagga House Run Club and Black Men Run Philadelphia, participating in group runs through city neighborhoods to raise awareness around gun violence, the resolution says.

“Sgt. Fitzgerald will be remembered lovingly by his wife Marissa, four children and a close-knit extended family and for his commitment to his work and community by the Temple University Police Department and the greater Temple community,” the resolution says.

According to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, Fitzgerald had chased after Miles Pfeffer, 18, while investigating a possible crime near the edge of Temple’s campus the night of Feb. 18.

Pfeffer is charged with fatally shooting Fitzgerald on the 1700 block of West Montgomery Avenue.

The next morning, Pfeffer was arrested at his mother’s home in Buckingham Township, Bucks County.