Northeast
Philadelphia Dem DA slammed over suspected officer killer's punishment
The family of slain Temple University police officer Chris Fitzgerald on Wednesday called for Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s recall after he rejected use of the death penalty for the suspect in Fitzgerald’s murder.
Fitzgerald, a 31-year-old husband and father of five, had been trying to stop teenagers dressed in black from committing a carjacking on a Saturday night along the edge of Temple’s campus when then-18-year-old Miles Pfeffer shot him six times in the head — all captured on Fitzgerald’s body-worn camera.
They have been pushing for Pfeffer to be sentenced to death ever since, but they found out Tuesday night that Krasner would be declining to do so.
“As a uniformed police officer in the city of Philadelphia … volunteering his time off duty away from his family to give back, for someone like that, who made us so proud as a family, to be struck down in the streets of Philadelphia and for the district attorney to decide that this isn’t worthy of … a judge or jury to consider the death penalty as a means of punishment for this offense is reprehensible,” Joel Fitzgerald, Christopher’s father, a five-time police chief and Philadelphia native, told Fox News Digital.
FATHER OF TEMPLE UNIVERSITY POLICE OFFICER SHOT ON DUTY TELLS PHILDELPHIA DA HE’S ‘NOT GOING AWAY’
Slain Temple University police officer Christopher Fitzgerald is pictured with his father, Joel Fitzgerald Sr., former police chief of Waterloo, Iowa. (Handout)
Due to Joel Fitzgerald’s professional background, his family “knows and understands the legal system.”
“Imagine what happens every day to families across Philadelphia,” he said.
TEMPLE POLICE SHOOTING SUSPECT SHOT OFFICER 3 MORE TIMES AS HE LAY ON GROUND WITH HEAD WOUND: OFFICIALS
Slain Temple University police officer Christopher Fitzgerald was a 31-year-old husband and father of five. (Handout)
Pfeffer was charged in February 2023 with murder, murder of a law enforcement officer, robbery, carjacking, possession of an instrument of crime, and other related charges, the district attorney’s office said at the time.
The now-19-year-old allegedly robbed Fitzgerald of his gun after shooting him, and authorities say the suspect fled the scene and went on to commit a carjacking after killing the officer. U.S. Marshals and Bucks County police arrested Pfeffer the next day in his hometown of Buckingham Township.
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY OFFICER FATALLY SHOT IN HEAD IS SON OF FORMER TEXAS POLICE CHIEF: ‘SELFLESS SERVICE’
The quick apprehensions of two minors initially pursued by slain Temple University police officer Christopher Fitzgerald helped lead to the capture of suspected killer Miles Pfeffer, authorities said. (Philadelphia Police Department/U.S. Marshals)
A civil lawsuit filed by the Fitzgerald family against Pfeffer’s parents and his mother’s boyfriend alleges that Pfeffer’s mother picked the suspect up in Philadelphia after the shooting and drove him home.
Fitzgerald’s family fears Krasner will try to make a plea deal with the defendant for third-degree murder instead of first-degree and avoid a jury trial because he has his “own agenda,” Joel said.
“What we’re very conscious of now is [Krasner’s] ineffectiveness and his inability to allow citizens to make the decision. He’s taken that decision out of their hands. And if it can happen to us, it can happen to you,” Joel said, calling the DA “problematic.”
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner (AP Photo/Matt Rourke/File)
Dustin Slaughter, spokesperson for Krasner’s office, told Fox News Digital that Krasner has been “consistent with his oath to seek justice and uphold the law” and “will not seek the death penalty in the case of Miles Pfeffer, who murdered Police Officer Fitzgerald.”
“This decision was made after extensive input over many hours from the family of Officer Fitzgerald, and from experts. The members of the DAO committee that considers possible death penalty matters include attorneys with a cumulative total of hundreds of years of homicide and other criminal trial and appeal experience,” Slaughter said, referring to a committee Krasner created to consider potential death penalty cases.
Slaughter said the committee “reviewed all aspects of the case itself and all obtainable information on the defendant prior to making their recommendations to DA Krasner, who made the final determination.”
Pfeffer faces multiple charges, including murder of a law enforcement officer. (U.S. Marshals)
“The input of the family is deeply appreciated and was carefully considered by the committee and DA Krasner prior to his decision. The DAO looks forward to continuing to support the family’s needs and to vigorously prosecuting this terrible murder,” Slaughter said.
Marissa Fitzgerald, Christopher’s widow, told Fox News Digital that “it is important for all of the city of Philadelphia to know how Larry [Krasner] handles cases that are so heinous like this.”
“He’s basically sending a message that it’s OK for you to brutally execute not only a police officer but a family man – a husband, a father, a son, a brother – and you’ll get a slap on the wrist. And it’s stating that he doesn’t care what we want as victims,” she said.
Miles Pfeffer allegedly shot and killed Temple University police officer Christopher Fitzgerald in February 2023. (Handout)
Marissa added that her family is already living a “nightmare,” and for Krasner to drag them “through the mud like this is disgusting, it’s distasteful, and the citizens of Philadelphia need to know what kind of DA they have on their hands.”
The Fitzgerald family is calling for residents to recall Krasner due to his handling of Christopher’s case.
PHILADELPHIA OFFICER SHOT IN HAND WHILE SERVING WARRANT
The Temple University Police Association called Krasner a “disgrace” in a statement posted to Facebook on Wednesday.
Christopher Fitzgerald served with the Temple University police since October 2021. (Temple University Police Association)
“The disgrace of a District Attorney Larry Krasner, will NOT seek the death penalty in the murder case of our hero, Sgt. Christopher Fitzgerald,” the association wrote. “Absolutely devastating news for the Fitzgerald family and law enforcement officers throughout Philadelphia.”
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Krasner has been vocal about his opposition to the death penalty. Just days before the DA’s office filed charges against Pfeffer, Krasner issued a statement in support of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s opposition to the death penalty.
Suspect Miles Pfeffer is shown in a holding cell. (FOX 29 News Law Enforcement sources)
“Given Governor Shapiro’s previous and consistent support for upholding the death penalty as Attorney General, today’s announcement that Shapiro now opposes the death penalty is a very welcome and encouraging evolution in his position,” Krasner said in a Feb. 16, 2023, statement.
In 2019, Krasner’s office found that 72% of death penalty cases in Philadelphia between 1978 and 2017 were “ultimately overturned,” his office said in a press release.
“The death penalty in Pennsylvania overwhelmingly applies to Black and brown defendants, mentally impaired defendants, and poor defendants who cannot afford legal counsel and are assigned court-appointed lawyers. It does not do what the law requires – apply the ultimate penalty to the worst offenders who commit the worst homicides. Rather, it applies the ultimate penalty to the poorest and most impaired defendants,” the DA said at the time.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner speaks in Philadelphia, on Jan. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Gianno Caldwell, Fox News analyst and founder of the Caldwell Institute for Public Safety, on which Joel Fitzgerald serves as a board member, released a Wednesday statement saying the Fitzgerald family is calling “on Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry to empower newly appointed Special Prosecutor Michael Untermeyer to adopt the case.”
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“Police unions, including the Philadelphia FOP Lodge 5, Temple University Police Association, and the PA State FOP, have also joined in condemning the fact that Krasner will not seek the death penalty in this case; to not give judge or jury even the option for considering death in this heinous crime is asinine,” Caldwell said.
The Fox analyst, whose younger brother was fatally shot in Chicago in June 2022, noted that “murders have increased every year Krasner has been in office. (A staggering 57% increase in murders compared to pre-pandemic numbers.)”
Carjackings, armed robberies and burglaries have also increased since 2020, Caldwell said.
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Northeast
Pilot, passenger swim to safety after plane crashes into New York’s Hudson River
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A pilot and passenger swam through the frigid waters of the Hudson River and reached shore safely after their Cessna 172 made an emergency landing Monday night, officials said.
The aircraft had taken off from Long Island when the pilot was forced to land in the river just after 8 p.m., the Middle Hope Fire Department said in a Facebook post.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.
Middle Hope Fire Department responders, along with personnel from other agencies, were dispatched to the scene. After a brief search, first responders located the plane within the City of Newburgh, authorities said.
A plane wades in the Hudson River. (Facebook/Middle Hope Fire Department)
Fire officials said the two occupants were able to free themselves from the aircraft and swim to shore. Newburgh Emergency Medical Services evaluated the pair before they were transported to a nearby hospital for further treatment.
Multiple agencies were on the scene after a plane crashed into the Hudson River. (Facebook/Middle Hope Fire Department)
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul hailed the incident as “Another miracle on Hudson.”
“Thank God both the pilot and passenger of a single engine plane that performed an ice landing near Newburgh have been located with only minor injuries,” the governor wrote in a post on X. “Grateful to our first responders for their quick actions.”
A plane made an emergency landing on the Hudson River Monday evening. (Facebook/Middle Hope Fire Department)
New York Rep. Pat Ryan said he was “closely monitoring reports of a small plane making an emergency landing near the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.”
“I’m in touch with officials on the ground, who have shared that both passengers are safely out of the water & have been evacuated by EMS,” he said. “Incredibly grateful for our Hudson Valley first responders who are responding swiftly and put their lives on the line to keep others safe.”
First responders found the plane within the city limits of Newburgh. (Facebook/Middle Hope Fire Department)
The cause of the emergency landing remains under investigation.
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Boston, MA
Boston honors first casualty of American Revolution – The Boston Globe
“In moments of challenge and in moments of conflict, it does feel easier to put your head down,” Wu said at an event at the Old State House commemorating Attucks.
“Remembering the full history pushes us to be the beacon of freedom that the rest of the country and the rest of the world so very much needs.”
Inside the Old State House’s council chambers, city leaders, historians, and students gathered to celebrate Attucks’ legacy. They talked about the importance of memorializing him during a time when many present said the contributions of people of color to American history were being erased by the Trump administration, and the country’s founding principles were under attack.
Senator Lydia Edwards said the death of Attucks and the four others killed during the Boston Massacre helped establish important legal principles that still guide the country today.
Following the killings, British soldiers involved in the incident were put on trial. John Adams, who later became president, agreed to defend them in court, arguing that the rule of law must be upheld even during times of intense conflict.
“Even in these moments of strife, oppression of rogue federal government, that we remember that we stood up and still held to our court system, to the rule of law and to due process,” Edwards said. “We also remember who had to die in order to remind ourselves to do that.”
City Councilor Brian Worrell said Attucks was a symbol of the long struggle for equality in the country.
“It’s a story that is a reminder that Black and Indigenous Americans have always been at the forefront [of] the fight for justice,” Worrell said.
He said when he recounts Boston’s Black history, he almost always starts with Attucks’ story.
“He fought not simply against the tea tax or the Stamp Act, he fought for the most basic of rights. He fought for equal human lives. It’s a fight we as a city are still having,” he said.
Wu spoke about how on March 5, 2025, she was called to testify before Congress about Boston’s immigration policies during a six-hour hearing. She touted Boston’s safety record amid aggressive questioning, arguing that the city’s immigration policies improved public safety.
“On the 255th anniversary of the Boston Massacre, on Crispus Attucks Day, there was no way that this city wasn’t going to be represented in standing up for what’s right,” Wu said.
A chandelier lit the council chamber and red curtains covered its historic windows. On both sides of the room, students sat with their teachers. Winners of the Crispus Attucks Essay Contest, which invites local students to explore Attucks’ legacy, sat next to the podium.
“Sometimes history repeats itself,” said Toni Martin, an attendee at the event, who came to support her niece, who was being awarded. “Sometimes it gets better, but it takes revolutionary people to make change perfect.”
Outside of the State House after the commemoration, Sharahn Pullum, 18, who came in second for the essay contest, said, “My inspiration was just getting the opportunity to speak on something that matters.”
Michael Kelly, 65, joined the wreath-laying ceremony that took place at the Boston Massacre Commemorative Plaza. Kelly held a sign that said, “Ice Out Be Goode,” referring to Renee Good, a US citizen who was shot and killed by immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year.
Kelly said he had been standing at the plaza for three hours and is planning to stand there the entire day.
“People can stretch their imaginations to understand that this place, what happened here, is not at all different than what happened in Minneapolis,” Kelly said with tears in his eyes. “People standing up for something they believe in is vastly important, and we can’t be daunted.”

Aayushi Datta can be reached at aayushi.datta@globe.com.
Pittsburg, PA
Pirates Winning Streak Ends With Loss to Cardinals
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a strong showing so far in the Grapefruit League, but suffered a surprising defeat.
The Pirates lost 3-2 to the St. Louis Cardinals at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla., taking just their third defeat in Spring Training so far, dropping to 9-3 in the Grapefruit League.
Pittsburgh saw their five-game winning streak come to an end, but they are still level with the New York Yankees at the top of the Grapefruit League standings.
This game also came after the first off day for the Pirates on March 4 and a 7-1 win over Team Colombia in an exhibition at LECOM Park on March 3.
How the Pirates Fell to the Cardinals
Pirates right-handed pitcher Mitch Keller made his third start in the Grapefruit League and threw three scoreless innings, before giving up a solo home run to Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman on a slider down in the zone, putting the road team up 1-0 in the top of the fourth inning.
That represented the first run that Keller gave up all Spring Training and Pirates left-handed relief pitcher Derek Diamond came in for him after he gave up a single to Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker.
Keller has just a 1.23 ERA over 7.1 innings for the Pirates in the Grapefruit League, a good start for the veteran on the starting rotation.
St. Louis loaded the bases against Pirates left-handed relief pitcher Evan Sisk in the top of the fifth inning with three walks, but Sisk struckout top prospect in shortstop JJ Wetherholt and forced Gorman into a double play to keep it a one-run game.
Pirates right-handed relief pitcher Chris Devenski gave up a run in the top of the sixth inning, as he walked second baseman Ramón Urías, who stole second base, then gave up a single to catcher Pedro Pagés, doubling the Cardinals’ lead at 2-0.
The Pirates tied the game up at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning, as shortstop Alika Williams hit a two-run home run off of Cardinals left-handed pitcher Quinn Mathews.
Pirates right-handed relief pitcher Cam Sanders gave up the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning, hitting leadoff batter Joshua Baez with a pitch and then giving up a single to pinch-hitter Jimmy Crooks to make it 3-2.
Right fielder Ryan O’Hearn had a strong showing for the Pirates in the loss to the Cardinals with two hits in two at-bats. He is now slashing .462/.563/.769 for an OPS of 1.332 in six Grapefruit League games.
Outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia had a hit off the bench for the Pirates, as he is now slashing .533/.611/.733 for an OPS of 1.344 in seven games.
Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates!
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