Did his war on druggies cost cop's dad his life?

When the sun first filled the sky each morning, Dario Gutierrez shuffled out of his beige stucco rowhouse with a broom in hand.

He would promptly go to work, sweeping his three small steps and the area in front of his fenced-in yard with the speed and urgency of a man on a mission.

When his first task was finished, Gutierrez, 79, would stroll through his Fairhill neighborhood and survey his surroundings.

He would beam at the three-story, red- and orange-brick homes that the city built across the street from him several years ago, and cast a disdainful eye towards the local drug dealers who gathered on his corner and threatened to derail any progress this blighted area had made.

During his daily strolls, Gutierrez's family said, he would stop to offer words of wisdom to youngsters at a nearby playground. He would even open his home and wallet to people he knew were down on their luck, usually donating a couple of bucks or a quick meal to ease their troubles.

At night, he would be back on the streets, patrolling the area in cars with more than a dozen other seniors in a feisty town-watch group.

But the positive energy and good will that Gutierrez generated in his community was forever snuffed out earlier this week when someone bludgeoned the kind-hearted elderly man to death in his home on Mascher Street near Somerset.

He was found dead in his living room on Tuesday by two of his daughters, police said. Neighbors had last seen him alive on Sunday.

"This is a 79-year-old man who was slain in cold blood for no reason," Chief Inspector Joe Fox said yesterday. "He was very active in trying to lead his neighborhood in a fight against the drug activity, especially on this corner."

Gutierrez left behind seven stunned children, including a son, Jose Gutierrez, a police officer in the 26th District, Girard and Montgomery avenues. His family believes that Gutierrez was killed by someone from his neighborhood, that he was betrayed by someone he probably mistook for a friend.

"We were always concerned by the way he would invite people into his house," said Anita Gutierrez, 46, the youngest of Dario's three daughters.

"There was a lot of shady characters, and it didn't seem like a safe thing to do. But he would say, 'Oh, they're just friends I'm helping out.'

"I believe my father invited someone into his home, and they wanted more than he was willing to give. It got out of hand . . . and he was killed."

Gutierrez's killing has driven a stake through the heart of his close-knit family.

"He was always so nice, so respectful; I feel so sorry for his family," said neighbor Elizabeth Rodriguez.

Added Capt. Lou Campione, commander of the 26th District: "Incidents like this remind us that we're vulnerable, and as police, we're not immune to what can happen out there. We're praying for the family."

Anita Gutierrez said she and her siblings idolized her father, who immigrated from Puerto Rico when he was in his 20s, met their mother, Juana, and built a full life as a chef for Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co. The always-active Gutierrez moonlighted as a percussionist and background vocalist in a salsa band, a job he continued to hold.

Anita said she and her father planned to travel to Puerto Rico this summer together for the first time. "He was extremely active," Anita said. "It was difficult to get him to sit still. We were amazed at the energy he had."

Gutierrez moved to his corner home on Mascher Street about 15 years ago, and largely lived alone. His wife, Juana, has Alzheimer's disease and is in hospice care.

"We didn't like him living here," Anita said.

"But he was set in his ways. He refused to move. I offered to have an architect fix up his house, but he turned that down, too."

Gutierrez discovered a new passion, town watch, five years ago. He quickly became the most vocal member of the Eagle Town Watch Group, composed of retired folks.

"He was very friendly, very open, and very dedicated to the town-watch group," said Dr. Alicia Mette, community specialist for the city's Town Watch Integrated Services.

"He strived on emphasizing that people should have dignity and keep their neighborhood clean," Mette said.

"He was also very worried that drug dealers were trying to start up on his corners again."

Gutierrez's family said he never thought twice about telling young dealers to abandon his corner, leading police to believe that he could have become a target.

"Those who are regularly engaged in drug activity regularly make assumptions as to who calls the police," Fox said.

"If sales are going on right out here, these thugs and cowards may assume that because he lives in this corner property, that he was the one calling the police."

Members of the police Narcotics Field Unit 2 and FBI Squad 3 served arrest warrants a block away from Gutierrez's home last night to collect information about his murder, said FBI spokeswoman Jerri Williams.

"We are going to leave no stone unturned until we bring in the person or persons responsible for this," Fox said.

Anyone with information about this crime should contact Homicide investigators at 215-686-3334, -3335 or -3336. *