Macy’s security guard who was stabbed to death is identified as Eric Harrison, 27

The Macy’s security guard stabbed to death by an alleged shoplifter Monday morning has been identified as Eric Harrison, 27, of Frankford, according to police records and a family member.

Harrison, one of two guards stabbed in the incident, was identified Tuesday as the District Attorney’s Office charged suspect Tyrone Garcell Tunnell, whose records show a lengthy history of retail theft and drug-related offenses.

A second guard, a 23-year-old whose name has not been released, was also severely injured but listed in stable condition at Thomas Jefferson Hospital.

For more than two years, Harrison had worked in loss prevention at the iconic Center City department store, a location that has experienced a surge of retail theft in the last four years, according to police statistics. He worked two full-time jobs — first, he would sort mail overnight at the U.S. Postal Service on Byberry Road in the Northeast, then drive down to open the Macy’s, near 13th and Market Streets, his mother, Dawn Harrison, 43, said Tuesday morning.

Department store customers loved him, his mother said. He called the older ladies at Macy’s his “aunties.” He was saving up to move out of his mom’s place in Frankford, she said, and get an apartment of his own.

“I’m still in shock,” Dawn Harrison said. “Truly in shock.”

» READ MORE: Security guard killed in stabbing at Macy’s in Center City; suspect in custody

Police arrested Tunnell, 30, shortly after he was alleged to have fatally stabbed Harrison. He remains in custody and was charged Tuesday afternoon by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner with murder, attempted murder, and other related offenses.

During a news conference announcing the charges, the district attorney acknowledged the public shock generated by the fatal stabbing and the ongoing concern with retail thefts.

The District Attorney’s Office and Philadelphia Police have been working to improve safety for retail workers along with visitors, particularly in the last few months, Krasner said.

“We’re in a holiday season when people should feel they could go out and shop and enjoy everything Center City Philadelphia has to offer without fear,” he said.

Authorities said Tunnell, whose last known address was in the city’s Oxford Circle neighborhood, was confronted by the two guards while attempting to steal several hats from the store. Witnesses said he man was seen running toward the department store exit, when he was stopped by Harrison and another security guard. After a scuffle, Tunnell dropped the merchandise and was allowed to leave.

However, apparently angered by the interaction, Tunnell returned to the entrance of the store a few minutes later and confronted the guards, who were unarmed. After exchanging words, he allegedly produced a pocket knife and began stabbing both men, striking Harrison near his neck.

Around 11 a.m., 6th District officers responded to a radio call involving a person with a weapon inside the Macy’s. Officers arrived to find Harrison with a laceration to his neck area, and the other guard with stab wounds to his face, groin, chest and back.

Both men were transported to Jefferson, where Harrison was pronounced dead about 20 minutes after the initial call.

Police records allege that Tunnell fled to a nearby Market-Frankford Line station, slipping through a turnstile and tossing a knife onto the tracks, before hopping a train to the Somerset station, in the city’s Kensington neighborhood. He was quickly identified as a suspect and intercepted by SEPTA transit police at that station.

Those records state that Tunnell admitted to the confrontation but denied stabbing either man — despite video evidence of the assault and the statements from witnesses.

The suspect had spent the last few years in and out of courtrooms across the Philadelphia region, public records show.

Tunnell has been arrested more than a dozen times since 2010 in Philadelphia, Bucks, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties, as well as in New Jersey — principally on drug or retail-theft offenses, according to police records. Tunnell had pleaded guilty to a string of related charges over the years and most recently left prison in December, 2022. He is serving multiple concurrent probation sentences.

He was arrested for retail theft again earlier this year in Bucks County, and had a bench warrant issued in Delaware County after he failed to appear in court for another retail theft case. He is also listed as a fugitive from justice in New Jersey in connection with an unspecified July offense in Camden County, according to police records.

Tunnell most recently appeared before a Philadelphia judge in October over probation violations. He was sentenced at that hearing to an additional year of probation.

On Tuesday, Krasner discussed strategies for toughening criminal penalties for serial shoplifters, pointing to Tunnell.

“Obviously this outcome is shocking,” he said. “This outcome is terrible.”

Reports of shoplifting have increased nationally, while incidents in Philadelphia jumped 28% citywide when compared to last year even as other reports of crimes have fallen. Police said retail thefts on the 1300 block of Market Street, where Macy’s is located, nearly doubled between 2019 to the present — from 133 incidents to 247.

However, both arrests and charges for retail theft cases have fallen by about 75% since 2017, when Krasner assumed office. He has generally pursued policies seeking less jail time for retail offenses, which he says saves taxpayer dollars and frees prosecutors to pursue more serious criminal offenders — but which some merchants say has increased shoplifting.

Harrison, who previously worked in loss prevention at Rite Aid, had told his mother there was a lot of shoplifting at Macy’s. However, she said he never talked about feeling unsafe there.

Macy’s, in a statement Monday, said the store would remain closed until further notice.

“We are heartbroken about the incident that took place today at Macy’s Center City,” a spokesperson said in an email. “The store will temporarily remain closed as we work with law enforcement on this investigation. ... Ensuring the safety and well-being of our customers and colleagues is always our top priority.”

Paul Smith, a spokesperson for the postal service, said Harrison had worked as a mail handler assistant since July.

“The Postal Service was deeply saddened to learn about the tragic death of Eric,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Harrison loved shopping and fashion, his mother said.

“Nothing was more important to him than looking good and smelling good,” she said.

A graduate of Frankford High School, he also loved to cook and play video games in his free time. Dawn Harrison said she had her son at a young age and so they grew up together and were best friends. “He was truly a mama’s boy,” she said.

He leaves behind three sisters. He had no children, Dawn Harrison said.

“He leaves no legacy,” his mother said. “Just my memories.”