PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Temple University Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald, who was fatally shot in the line of duty last week, will be laid to rest on Friday.
The funeral service will take place at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul at 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
A motorcade will transport Fitzgerald to the cathedral at 8 a.m. The route use I-95 southbound and I-676 westbound. Public visitation will immediately follow.
The service will start at 11:30 a.m. with words of remembrance from Fitzgerald’s pastor and uncle, as well as Temple’s vice president for public safety. The funeral liturgy is also open to the public.
The service can be viewed remotely via livestream.
After the funeral, the motorcade will take I-676 eastbound to I-95 northbound, traveling to his burial site. The burial will take place privately.
The area surrounding the cathedral will have road closures and detours to accommodate the service, which is expected to draw many.
The Philadelphia Police Department said the inner lanes of the Ben Franklin Parkway will be closed off starting at 6 a.m. Friday. The area between 16th and 20th streets and from Vine to Arch streets will be restricted from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Limited access will be provided to residents and businesses.
Prior to Friday’s funeral ceremony, another viewing took place Thursday night at Givnish Funeral Home on Academy Road in Northeast Philadelphia. A large presence of law enforcement officers was seen outside the funeral home as the viewing began.
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Fitzgerald, 31, was fatally shot near the corner of 17th Street and Montgomery Avenue on Feb. 18. Officials said he was in pursuit of three young males, dressed in all black and masked.
They ran and two of them hid, but Fitzgerald got into a tussle with the third individual, 18-year-old Miles Pfeffer. Pfeffer fired several shots, striking Fitzgerald.
When Fitzgerald was on the ground, police said Pfeffer stood over him, shot him three more times, then picked his pockets and unsuccessfully tried to steal his service weapon.
Officials said Fitzgerald is the first Temple University police officer to be killed in the line of duty. The university said it would help Fitzgerald's family financially in two substantive ways.
“To ease the burden on the family, the university will pay for Officer Fitzgerald's funeral and provide tuition remission for his children should they attend Temple," said Temple University President Jason Wingard.
"I've met Officer Fitzgerald's family, and his wife and parents shared with me, separately, how much Chris loved working at Temple, saying, 'It was his joy.' It's unfathomable how his joy has led to so much pain for all who knew and loved him."
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