Eric Harrison: Family of slain Macy's security guard sues Philadelphia store month after stabbing case

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: The family intends to sue the department store and the building owners on behalf of a Macy's security guard who was allegedly fatally stabbed by a shoplifter in Pennsylvania.

On December 4 at the Macy's in Philadelphia's downtown, Eric Harrison, 27, passed away. Harrison's murder is the charge against 30-year-old Tyrone Garcell Tunnell.

Tunnell was caught by security guards attempting to steal hats from the store, but they let him go once they had retrieved the goods, according to police.

Eric Harrison's family sues Macy's and the building's owners

According to reports, Tunnell came back later and fatally stabbed Harrison and another security guard, leaving the other one alive. Harrison's family is currently suing both Macy's and the building's owners for their losses.

Attorneys Eric G. Zajac and Evan Padilla of the Zajac and Padilla law firm demanded on Monday that Macy's produce records, including security assessments, employee handbooks, crime statistics, and any internal investigations.

Padilla informed that after obtaining more information, they plan to file the lawsuit in about a month. On Tuesday, the attorneys and Harrison's family announced the lawsuit at a press conference.

“Safety and security failures gave rise to criminal opportunity,” Zajac said, according to WCAU.

“We were hired, Evan and I, to get some answers to some very important, very good questions and to hold accountable those who share responsibility for those safety and security failures. Failures that contributed to the death of Eric Harrison.”

The family is still dealing with the pain of Harrison's death. Harrison's father told WPVI, "I can't pick one person who would say anything negative about him." Harrison's work ethic was admired by many.

He worked as a security guard and an overnight employee of the United States Postal Service. In order to move into a new apartment, he wanted to save money.

“He wanted to prove, ‘Hey I got this. I can do this,'” said Coates.

Zajac said they intend to seek 40 to 50 years' worth of wage losses, which would be a "very substantial amount of money," but they would not disclose the lawsuit's exact value. A Macy's representative declined to comment on the ongoing legal dispute in a statement given to Law&Crime.

"We remain heartbroken about the tragedy that took place at Macy’s Center City. Our hearts go out to the Harrison family during this difficult time," the statement read.

Eric Harrison was stabbed in neck

On December 4, at approximately 10:45 am, the suspect Tunnell is said to have attempted to steal multiple hats from the store.

According to Interim Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Stanford at the time, two security guards confronted Tunnell, took the hats, and then let the shoplifter go. Prosecutors say that about fifteen minutes later, Tunnell came back to the store brandishing a knife.

He immediately went after Harrison and stabbed him in the neck. When a 23-year-old security guard intervened, he too was stabbed in the face and arm. Harrison was taken to the hospital by paramedics, where they declared him dead.

Although Tunnell fled, SEPTA Transit Police apprehended him without delay, according to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, after following his whereabouts via security camera footage.

Krasner reports that the knife used in the murder was found by the police. Tunnell was recognized by shoppers as the person who stabbed the security officers.

“Like the scores of people who visit and shop in Philadelphia during what is for many a joyful time of year, I am shocked and heartbroken by the murder of a department store employee and violent assault of another, all for doing their jobs in support of the safety and peace of co-workers and customers,” Krasner said in a statement after the incident.

According to Stanford, there have been more than 250 reports of retail theft at Macy's this year alone, making it a "ongoing problem." Stanford described what happened as a tragedy.

“Right here just a few weeks before the holidays, these security officers are just doing their job,” he told reporters during a news conference after the incident. “They’re here to make sure people can come to this location and shop in a safe manner.”

According to court documents, Tunnell has a history of convictions for drug-related and shoplifting offenses. Records show that at the time of the stabbing, he was on probation for a shoplifting charge.