Temple University police officer fatally shot during chase

(Philadelphia) — A Temple University police officer was fatally shot near campus Saturday night while chasing a robbery suspect, officials said.

Temple said in a statement that the alleged robbery took place at a nearby convenience store and the officer was pronounced dead at the university hospital.

The statement said the university was heartbroken. It said it would not identify the officer at this time out of respect for family and friends.

The Temple University Police Association said details of the shooting were still incomplete, but he was killed in the line of duty.

WPVI-TV reported that the officer was shot in the head, and there were no immediate arrests.

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,” 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.