Loved ones of a security guard who was stabbed to death at the Macy's in Center City Philadelphia last month have filed a lawsuit against the company.
The parents of Eric Harrison, as well as their attorneys Eric Zajac and Evan Padilla, revealed details of their lawsuit against multiple defendants, including Macy's, the owners of the Center City building where the store is located, and the property manager of the store.
“Safety and security failures gave rise to criminal opportunity," Zajac said. "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.”
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The family did not reveal an exact monetary amount they're seeking in the lawsuit.
"We will be looking for all wrongful death and survival damages. Those will include of course lost wages. This is a very young man who was working two different jobs. He had a job at the post office. He had good benefits. So we're looking at anywhere, 40 to 50 years of future wage loss claims that will be asserted on behalf of the estate. That will be a very substantial amount of money," Zajac said.
"But of course, and out of respect to the family that is here today, the actual experience of his death and the pain and suffering of that event will be at the center of the case."
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Zajac also responded to concerns that Macy's -- which has closed several stores nationwide due to financial difficulties over recent years -- would not be able to pay the amount the family is seeking.
"That is a concern. One of the things we'll be trying to find out is whether the store has insurance because typically if there's insurance, even if the underlying company goes bankrupt, what you're looking for are the insurance proceeds anyway," Zajac said.
A spokesperson for Macy's released a statement in response to the lawsuit.
"We remain heartbroken about the tragedy that took place at Macy's Center City," the spokesperson wrote. "Our hearts go out to the Harrison family during this difficult time. Per our policy on pending litigation, we have no additional comments at this time."
The murder of Eric Harrison
Harrison was killed on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023, around 10:45 a.m. at the Macy's store on 13th and Market streets.
Police said a man, later identified as 30-year-old Tyrone Tunnell, was trying to steal hats from the store and was confronted by Harrison -- who worked in loss prevention at the store -- and a second guard.
After an altercation with the guards, Tunnell left the store, investigators said. Tunnell then returned to the store about 15 minutes later, according to police. Witnesses said Tunnell was looking for Harrison and the other guard and was yelling threats. He then found Harrison, pulled out a switchblade and stabbed him in the neck, officials said. The second security guard tried to intervene and was stabbed in the face and arm, according to investigators.
Investigators said Tunnell took the shoe of one of the guards, put it on and then fled the scene.
Harrison was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 11:19 a.m. that day. The other guard was also taken to the hospital and was listed in critical but stable condition.
The guards were employed by Macy's and were unarmed, according to former Interim Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Stanford.
“Just a tragic situation. Right here, a few weeks before the holiday, these security officers are just doing their job," Stanford said at the time. "They’re here to make sure that people can come to this location and shop in a safe manner. And for something like this to happen on a Monday morning, again, during a holiday season or any time of the year for that, but just another indication that every bit of crime is important in the city."
Tunnell hopped on a Market-Frankford Line train at the 13th Street Station, tossing the knife on the tracks in the process, police said. SEPTA cameras captured Tunnell as he fled and he was arrested shortly after at the Somerset Station on Kensington Avenue in the city’s Kensington neighborhood, according to investigators.
Tunnell told police he returned to the Macy's because he didn't like how the security guards initially handled him but he denied having a knife, law enforcement sources said.
Investigators said one knife was recovered inside the Macy's while a second knife was recovered on the subway tracks.
Tunnell was charged with murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, retail theft, possession of an instrument of crime and tampering with evidence.
Tunnell has an extensive criminal record with numerous convictions and arrests in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware and Bucks counties since 2013, according to court records. His prior charges and convictions range from retail theft to robbery to drug offenses.
He was most recently released from jail in Montgomery County in September in connection to theft charges at the King of Prussia Mall.
'He was a good young man'
Harrison's mother, Dawn Harrison-Fobbs, and his aunt, Tyree Harrison-Harvey, both spoke with NBC10's Deanna Durante.
Harrison-Harvey described her nephew as a hardworking man who was working two jobs at the time of his murder.
"He literally got off of work at 6 o’clock in the morning. He went straight to Macy’s and opened up the store as a security guard," she said. "He worked there for two years. He was funny. Always had something funny to say out of his mouth. He’s going to be missed. I’m just trying to process this all because he was not in the street. And this happened to him."
Harrison-Fobbs talked about the memories she's now robbed of due to her son's murder.
"Now I'm robbed of grandchildren. Seeing my son walk down the aisle. Just all the memories I will never get from my 27-year-old son, it’s all gone," she said. "And for him to be truly, truly a good kid is something I just don’t understand. Out there working two 40-hour jobs. Not one part time. Two full-time jobs. And this is how he’s taken out. This is not what life is supposed to look like. That’s truly all I have to say. He was my best friend. And now he’s gone.”
Ultimately, both women want justice for their loved one.
"I just hope the young man who did this really, they prosecute him," Harrison-Harvey said. "Because he messed up all our lives. Not just mine, my sister, my whole family, is a lot of us. So we are very, very distraught over this.”
Retail thefts at Center City Macy's
The Center City Macy's has experienced one of the highest levels of retail theft in Philadelphia, according to Stanford.
"Just year to date, they have over 250 reports of retail theft at this location. So it is an ongoing situation," Stanford said at the time. "An ongoing problem. Not just for large chain stores like this but in terms of businesses throughout the city.”
While announcing the lawsuit on Tuesday, Zajac cited the retail thefts and overall crime in Center City as factors that led to Harrison's death.
“The senseless death for someone like Eric Harrison, sadly, was probably just a matter of time. It should never have come to this but it has," he said. "Now, after this tragic loss if you walk into the Macy’s store, you will see private security guards. You will see armed city of Philadelphia police officers. The fundamental question this family asked and we will get answers to, is why did somebody have to die before this happened?"
Harrison-Fobbs, who says she's been a store manager for 20 years, said the Center City Macy's "dropped the ball on so many aspects."
"Did anybody even call the cops that day when they let him go?" Harrison-Fobbs asked.
She also disputed the report that her son confronted Tunnell 15 minutes prior to the stabbing.
"On that day, Eric didn't come in contact with Tyrone. So that was one of the false things that Macy's put out there, that Eric came in contact with him that day or he stopped him for those hats," she said. "My son didn't even see that man that morning to even stop him. The guy that's upstairs, that's watching the cameras, was he even aware that Tyrone was upset and he left that building and a threat was made?"
The Macy's store is also one of the most popular attractions in Philadelphia during the holiday season and features a light show with around 100,000 LED lights as well as a massive Christmas tree.
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A Macy's store spokesperson sent a statement to NBC10 following Harrison's death in December.
"We are heartbroken about the incident that took place today at Macy's Center City," the spokesperson wrote. "The store will temporarily remain closed as we work with law enforcement on this investigation and defer any further comments about the case to them. Ensuring the safety and well-being of our customers and colleagues is always our top priority."
