Temple University police officer shot and killed while chasing carjacking suspect

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A suspect has been arrested in the death of a Temple University police officer shot and killed near campus Saturday night after reportedly trying to intervene in a carjacking, university police union officials said.

The Temple University Police Association confirmed Sunday in a Twitter post that “a suspect has been taken into custody for the murder of one of our police officers.” The organisation said it had been told “that the arrest was made using our fallen officer’s handcuffs.”

Temple University earlier said in a statement that the officer was shot while trying to apprehend a robbery suspect and was later pronounced dead at the university hospital. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said the officer “tried to intervene in a carjacking,” The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

University president Jason Wingard said he was “heartbroken” and called the shooting “a gut-wrenching reminder of our police officers’ daily bravery and sacrifices to protect our students, faculty, staff and community” as the city and the nation deal with “an unprecedented epidemic of violence.”

Ken Kaiser, the university’s senior vice president and chief operating officer, was quoted by the Philadelphia Inquirer as saying it was the first shooting death of a campus officer during his more than 30 years at Temple. “It just shakes everybody to the core,” he said.

Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro tweeted that he and first lady Lori were “devastated for the family of the Temple University police officer who was killed in the line of duty tonight, bravely serving his community.”

They sent prayers to his family, Temple police and the university community, he added, saying, “May his memory be a blessing.”

Joseph Regan, president of the Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge, also expressed condolences.

“There are no words to describe the news of another one of our officers being shot,” Mr Regan said in a statement. “This officer is a hero whose legacy and unselfish act will live in our hearts and memories forever.”

It was the first fatal shooting of an on-duty police officer in Philadelphia since 2020, according to the Inquirer.