Eric Harrison, Macy’s security guard killed in stabbing, remembered at funeral as hard-working man with a beautiful smile

Friends and family of Eric Harrison, the Macy’s security guard who was killed in a double stabbing at the Center City department store last week, gathered at his funeral Thursday, where his loved ones celebrated his life and recalled the hard-working, kind man they called Lil E or Dizzle.

As sunny skies battled brisk, cold gusts of wind, hundreds gathered at True Light Fellowship Church, in East Mount Airy, to pay their final respects to Harrison. People patiently waited to say goodbye to Harrison, with a line of mourners winding its way down the church aisle and out the door onto the sidewalk.

Ornate floral arrangements stood at either side of Harrison’s casket, including one that spelled out USPS in blue and white flowers. Along with working at Macy’s, Harrison worked as a mail sorter in the Northeast.

Harrison was a loving man, with an eye for fashion and sneakers and who loved sports, especially his and his father’s beloved Eagles, said Maijah Coutura Coates, a relative. He loved his family and his cat Baati, she said, and was always easy with a coy smile, quiet but beaming with happiness.

“Eric was charming and had a beautiful smile. His smile would light up a room. His smile was a reflection of his personality,” said Coates.

Pastor Wesley Pinnock, who knew Harrison’s family, lamented the loss of another young man who had been working to “better himself.”

Harrison, 27, was fatally stabbed in the neck after he and another security guard stopped a Philadelphia man from stealing hats at the store on Dec. 4, police said. After initially leaving the store without issues, the suspect, Tyrone Tunnell, returned minutes later, allegedly angered by the interaction, and stabbed Harrison and the other security guard who tried to intervene, police said.

Harrison died about 20 minutes later at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. The other guard suffered stab wounds to his face, groin, chest and back. Tunnell, 30, faces charges of murder, attempted murder, and related crimes, authorities said. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing later this month.

Harrison worked in loss prevention at the Center City department store, a location that has experienced a spike in retail theft in the last four years, according to police statistics. He worked two full-time jobs, sorting mail overnight at the U.S. Postal Service on Byberry Road in the Northeast, then driving down to open the Macy’s, said his mother, Dawn Harrison.

Harrison was beloved by store customers, his mother said, and was saving up to get his own apartment and move out of his mother’s house in Frankford.

A GoFundMe campaign, which has been verified, was started to help Harrison’s family with funeral expenses.

A tribute video was played at the end of the funeral service, flashing images of Harrison throughout his life. One showed him as a baby in a red-and-white romper. Another showed him fully clad in a Lakers jersey and headband. In another, he was attired in a blue graduation cap and gown.

Before his light-gray casket was closed, Harrison’s mother, who called him “Pop,” bent closer to him, kissing him and saying her final goodbye.

“His unconditional love overflowed to all who knew him. To know him was to love him,” said Coates. “He brought so much joy to everyone he touched.”