Video captured the fatal shooting of a Temple police officer in 2023. It was shown for the first time at his accused shooter’s trial.

The shooting was over in a few seconds — and all of it was captured on video.

In February 2023, Temple University Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald had chased after Miles Pfeffer near the school’s campus. A doorbell camera recorded video of the pursuit, and the footage showed Fitzgerald catching up with Pfeffer on the 1700 block of Montgomery Avenue, then grabbing him and telling him to get on the ground.

For a moment, the video lost sight of the pair as they struggled behind cars parked on the street.

Then, without warning, the sound of gunshots erupted. And after that, Pfeffer, 18, was captured regaining his footing, standing over Fitzgerald, and firing several more shots at the officer from point-blank range.

The harrowing footage was played publicly for the first time Tuesday morning during the second day of Pfeffer’s trial on murder charges. Several people in the packed courtroom gallery cried as it played; others left the room before it was put on the screen to avoid having to watch it.

As the day in court went on, prosecutors showed the video several more times, including zoomed in and in slow motion. At times, the gun’s muzzle flashes lit up part of the television screen.

The video is a central piece of evidence as prosecutors seek to convince jurors that Pfeffer intended to kill Fitzgerald — and that he should be found guilty of first-degree murder, which carries an automatic life sentence. (District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office declined to seek the death penalty, a decision Fitzgerald’s relatives have criticized.)

Assistant District Attorney Lauren Crump said Monday that the video’s depiction of Pfeffer’s actions — and that he continued firing at Fitzgerald’s head while the officer was lying on the ground — made clear that Pfeffer intended for Fitzgerald to die.

Pfeffer’s public defenders, meanwhile, have argued that he acted impulsively when he opened fire and that he was reacting out of fear because he was afraid of being chased by police.

The courtroom has been packed each day with a large crowd of spectators. On Tuesday, attendees included Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, Temple Vice President of Public Safety Jennifer Griffin, former District Attorney Seth Williams, at least one Common Pleas Court judge, and a variety of attorneys.

Fitzgerald’s father, Joel, said after court ended for the day that his family appreciated support from the law enforcement community but that the trial had nonetheless proven difficult. There still is “a lot of healing that has to be done,” he said.

Testimony is expected to continue Wednesday.

The crime occurred just after 7 p.m. on Feb. 18, 2023. Earlier that day, Pfeffer had been wandering around different parts of the city with his younger brother, Dean, and a friend. Both the brother and the friend testified Tuesday.

They said the incident near the Temple campus effectively started when they left a corner store at 17th Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue — where they had bought mango iced tea, water, and a cigarette — and noticed police watching them. The trio started running and split up.

Dean Pfeffer said he ducked into the yard of a nearby home. A few seconds later, he said, he heard gunshots.

When he left the yard, he said, he and his friend found each other on the street and started walking together. Shortly thereafter, he said, they encountered police — and they were quickly taken to the Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide Unit for questioning.

Over the course of that night, prosecutors said Tuesday, as detectives sought to identify Fitzgerald’s shooter, they recovered surveillance videos showing that Dean Pfeffer had been with the assailant in the corner store moments before the crime.

And during his time on the stand Tuesday, prosecutors played video of Dean Pfeffer’s interview with detectives. When investigators showed him images from the doorbell video depicting Fitzgerald’s death, they asked if he recognized the shooter.

Dean Pfeffer then gave a simple, three-word answer.

“Yeah,” he said, “that’s Miles.”