Swagga House Run Club remembers fallen Temple University police officer Christopher Fitzgerald

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Friends of murdered police officer Chris Fitzgerald remember the Temple University police officer for his gift of reaching out to the community.

One group that honors him is the Swagga House Run Club.

Her goal is to engage black and brown youth by running in some of the city’s neighborhoods most affected by gun violence.

“You hear when people come around that they were the cream of the crop, but really… Chris really was,” said Josh Perez.

Josh Perez once worked with Officer Fitzgerald in the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office and is a co-founder of the Swagga House Run Club.

The group, which Perez describes more as a family, meets once a month for Sunday runs around town.

He says their mission is to encourage at-risk teenagers in some of the city’s hardest-hit areas and help them focus their energy through running — and even join their club.

The group already had a scheduled run on the books over the weekend, but members took time to honor Fitzgerald, whose absence was his presence.

“I was with his wife when the doctors broke the news to her, and one of the first things she said to me was, ‘Chris and I were going to walk with you guys in the morning,'” he said.

“We knew we had to have it, and with a heavy heart we ran away and carried it on our minds,” he continued.

A suspect has been arrested for the murder. Miles Pfeffer, 18, was arrested Sunday morning in Bucks County and is being held without bail at a Philadelphia jail.