While the court battle is just beginning, the arrest of a former police sergeant yesterday brought a swift end to the campaign waged by the family of William Panas Jr., the unarmed man the officer shot after a street brawl.

Since the Nov. 21 shooting, friends and family have been printing T-shirts and sweaters, writing letters, holding vigils, and distributing fliers and orange ribbons throughout their Port Richmond neighborhood.

Panas' father, William Panas Sr., said that all stopped with the arrest of the recently fired sergeant, Frank Tepper. Panas said he would remain largely quiet while the case goes to court.

"The support . . . I don't know what word to use. Phenomenal? Monumental?" he said. "We did everything by the book and we did it right, without being violent."

Tepper, who was charged Monday with murder and related offenses, surrendered at Police Headquarters about 9 a.m. yesterday, entering the building through a Race Street door closed to the public.

Fortunato Perri Jr., Tepper's attorney, said that his client had been attacked just before the shooting by a group of brawlers and that he acted appropriately to defend himself.

Tepper, 43, was charged with general murder and cannot receive bail unless first-degree murder is taken off the menu of possible charges at a preliminary hearing.

That means Tepper will be jailed until at least next Wednesday, when his preliminary hearing is scheduled. Perri said he had not seen any of the evidence against his client and could not say whether he thought a first-degree charge could be eliminated.

Tepper, who was stripped of his badge in January, was off-duty on the night of the shooting. Police said Tepper emerged from his Elkhart Street home about 11 p.m. to break up a large fight involving two to three dozen teenagers and young adults.

Witnesses said Tepper was punched, pulled his gun, and began chasing off the combatants.

Panas' father said his son also was trying to break up the fight, after one of his friends was slugged.

Some witnesses have said Tepper appeared to be drunk, but authorities have refused to say whether he had been drinking.

According to witness accounts, Panas stopped and told Tepper: "Come on, you're not going to shoot me."

Tepper shot him in the chest.

Outgoing District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham seated a grand jury to hear evidence in the case in December. But when District Attorney Seth Williams took office in January, he stopped sending witnesses before the panel.

In announcing the charges against Tepper, Williams said sufficient evidence had been gathered to sustain a murder charge without going through the grand jury process.

Tepper, a 16-year veteran of the force, had been assigned to the Civil Affairs Unit, whose duties include monitoring demonstrations and labor actions.

"He's disappointed, very disappointed," Perri said yesterday. "Like I said before, he looks forward to the opportunity to clear his good name."

The Panas family and friends have maintained a large memorial at the scene of the shooting, outside Tepper's home. Tepper left the neighborhood and had been living elsewhere.

The memorial remains, now protected by a homemade shed covered in a blue tarp.

The family held periodic vigils at the site and even set up Thanksgiving dinner there. On Friday, family and friends rallied at City Hall.

The victim's uncle, John Panas, led a campaign that distributed more than 1,000 orange ribbons - a color signifying a state of emergency - in the neighborhood.

"People who didn't even know us but heard about this case were more than willing to hang the ribbons," he said yesterday from his brother's house. "I just walked over here from my house and I had people come up to hug me and kiss me. . . . You really have to live here to experience this."

John Panas also said his brother and sister-in-law needed to step back from the campaign and prepare for the ordeal of the trial.

"They really haven't had time to mourn yet," he said. "That's the sad thing about all this."

William Panas Sr. said he became "a totally different person" after learning of the charges."

"I saw my wife smile for the first time in a long time," he said yesterday. "I slept well last night, if you can believe that."

Contact staff writer Troy Graham at 215-854-2730 or tgraham@phillynews.com.