A 30-year-old man has been charged with murder, attempted murder and other crimes for allegedly killing one security guard and injuring another during a stabbing Monday morning at Macy’s Center City store, authorities said Tuesday.
Tyrone Garcell Tunnell, prosecutors said, returned to the department store about 15 minutes after security stopped him attempting to steal knit hats and specifically attacked 27-year-old Eric Harrison and his 23-year-old co-worker.
Harrison was stabbed in the neck and died a short time later at Jefferson University Hospital, according to police. The younger man sustained serious injuries requiring surgery, but he is expected to survive, the District Attorney’s Office said.
The two guards had earlier tussled with Tunnell in the store’s foyer, authorities said. When he came back, he pulled out a switchblade and went after Harrison, while a mother and her young child walked nearby, Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
She said the other guard tried to intervene, and he sustained wounds to his face and arm. Tunnell allegedly stole one of the victim’s shoes, which he later put on while waiting for the subway.
Transit police, within minutes of the attack, tracked Tunnell to 13th Street Station, under the Macy’s, where he discarded the knife and boarded a Market-Frankford Line eastbound train, SEPTA General Manager Leslie Richards said.
SEPTA officers watched Tunnell in real-time and apprehended him at the Somerset stop in Kensington.
Tunnell’s legal representation in the murder case could not be immediately identified Tuesday. He has a lengthy criminal history, with convictions for retail theft, robbery, burglary and drug-related charges in recent years.
Delaware County authorities had an active arrest warrant for Tunnell related to probation violations, according to the DA’s Office.
District Attorney Larry Krasner said Tunnell appears to meet the criteria of a prolific retail theft offender – the type of person his office would vigorously prosecute for serious crimes.
During the news conference, reporters questioned Krasner on the DAO’s retail theft policies, which have also come under City Council scrutiny. Early in his first term, Krasner instructed prosecutors to charge most retail thefts involving less than $500 worth of merchandise as summary offenses, which typically result in a fine.
Krasner defended that directive and said it remains in place; however, he said his office has gotten better at identifying repeat offenders and prosecuting people who traffic in large quantities of stolen items.
He has requested Council allocated more money to the DAO as part of a mid-year budget bill to expand a retail theft task force, and the DAO has begun weekly meetings with a group of lawmakers to discuss retail theft issues.
Macy’s remained closed Tuesday but is expected to reopen Wednesday with an increased police presence. The store, in the former Wanamaker building, typically draws crowds for its popular light show and Dickens Village attraction.
Northeast Philadelphia Councilmember Mike Driscoll, who appeared alongside Krasner at Tuesday’s news conference, said he hopes the stabbing does not discourage residents from participating in holiday-themed activities downtown.
“Despite what happened yesterday, I still intend to bring my five children, my wife and my neighbors here in the next two weeks to shop and to make sure that they know that I believe that this city is still safe,” Driscoll said. “And I believe it is.”
