Web Search powered by YAHOO! SEARCH
TEXT SIZE: A A A A
email this
print this
reprint or license this
Police are searching for Eric Floyd, 33, last of Clearfield Street, in connection with the shooting death of police Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski.
Police are searching for Eric Floyd, 33, last of Clearfield Street, in connection with the shooting death of police Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski.
RELATED STORIES
 
Complete coverage: The Daily News, Inquirer
 
Video: Mayor Nutter announces reward
 
Alleged cop shooter paroled in '06
 
Complete coverage from the Daily News and Inquirer
 
Slain Officer's Memorial Grows
 
Accused cop killer walked out of Reading halfway house
 
Cheap “idiot-proof” rifle killed Phila. cop
 
Reward grows in manhunt
 
Alleged cop shooter paroled in '06
 
Services for Liczbinski Thursday, Friday
 
Slaying suspect had background as a rising boxer
 
Liczbinski an officer, family man and friend
 
On the street: Shock, chaos, an officer down
RELATED VIDEO
Mayor Nutter Announces Reward
Slain Officer's Memorial Grows
SAVE AND SHARE


Reward at $123,000 for cop killer; manhunt spreads to N. J.

Authorities today intensified a manhunt for the third suspect wanted in the weekend slaying of Philadelphia police Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski as the reward for the fugitive's arrest rapidly grew to $123,000.

At a 3:30 p.m. news conference in City Hall, Mayor Nutter and Fraternal Order of Police president John McNesby said that $123,000 had been raised in the last four hours for anyone with information leading to the capture of Eric DeShann Floyd. Among the donors were the Bank of America, electricians' union Local 98, lawyer Jimmy Binns, car dealership owners Gary Barbera and F.C. Kerbeck, and the Finnegan's Wake bar in Northern Liberties.

"Somebody has to give up this thug and this killer," McNesby said. Additional donations can be sent to the police union. The headquarters phone number is (215) 629-3600.

Speaking sternly, and slowly, Nutter made his own plea. "Eric Floyd -- turn yourself in," the mayor said, looking into several TV news cameras. "Face up to what you have done. We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Nutter, who was also joined by District Attorney Lynn Abraham, said, "Anyone who aids or abets this particular individual will be prosecuted as well."

Earlier in the day, the search spread to Elizabeth, N.J., where the daughter of a police officer spotted a man on a New Jersey Transit train who matched the description of 33-year-old Eric DeShann Floyd, 33, who also goes by the name, "Hasim."

Police stopped the train as it approached Newark and the man shed the wig and fled, leading to a widespread hunt in Essex County.

But some Philadelphia investigators believe there is no evidence that Floyd has left the city and police continue to search for him, especially in North Philadelphia, Ramsey said.

They believe Floyd has little money and few associates to help him escape. One police source said that the that more than $40,000 stolen from the Bank of America branch in the ShopRite supermarket on Aramingo Avenue in Port Richmond had been recovered.

Liczbinski, 39, a married father of three, was fatally shot Saturday while chasing a trio of bank robbers in Port Richmond.

Floyd, an escapee from from a court-ordered drug treatment facility in Lancaster County, escaped during the Saturday's chaos when two other allgeged accomplices were caught.

Police shot and killed Howard Cain, 33, minutes after they say he gunned down Liczbinski. They also apprehended Levon T. Warner, 39, a local boxer whose van was used as a getaway vehicle.

Floyd is armed and dangerous, Ramsey said. "Someone that would intentionally fire upon and kill a police officer throws away all regard for life at any level at all...," Ramsey said. "If they kill a cop, imagine what they would do to you. And, that's exactly why we've got to get a person with that kind of mentality off the streets."

The Fraternal Order of Police and the Citizens Crime Commission said they have received pledges of more than $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Liczbinski's killer.

Ramsey and John J. McNesby, president of the FOP's local lodge, said investigators urged the public to report information even if it appears insignificant.

"We're calling on the public today to root out and find out where this person is," McNesby said during the press conference.

"We will find him," Ramsey said.

The commissioner said Liczbinski's death -- he was the third officer lost in the line of duty in two years -- has taken a heavy toll on the department because May is a national month of mourning of officers killed on the job.

The FOP, which is managing the reward fund, put up $10,000 from its own coffers. Bank of America put up $25,000 of the reward money and $10,000 was contributed by Gary Barbera, the car dealer who employs the slain sergeant's son, Matthew.

The search on the New Jersey Transit train began after a Philadelphia police officer received a call from her daughter on the train about the man who matched the description. The mother e-mailed a picture of Floyd to her daughter while she was on the train. Authorities decided there was good reason to question the man.

The man fled after the train came to a halt. Service on Amtrak's Northeast corridor was shut down for an hour while police conducted the hunt.

Hours later, police said, they still wanted to question the man to rule him out. Police did recover the wig he left behind and hoped to find DNA that they could compare with evidence at the scene.

Anyone with information to call the City hotline at 215-686-8477 or the Citizens Crime Commission hotline at 215-546-8477.

 


Contact staff writer Barbara Boyer at 215-854-2641 or bboyer@phillynews.com.

 

  • Jobs
  • Cars
  • Real Estate
  • Rentals
 
Spotlight Deal
Northern Liberties 19123
Spotlight Deal
Old City/Society Hill 19106
Spotlight Deal
Norristown 19401
Spotlight Deal
Wilmington 19801
find an event
Su
Jul 20
Mo
Jul 21
Tu
Jul 22
We
Jul 23
Th
Jul 24
Venue search: - by name
- by cuisine
- by venue type, e.g. "movie theater"
Location search:
- Philadelphia, PA
- 19101
- Center City
Venue search:
- by name
- by cuisine
- by venue type, e.g. "movie theater"
Location search:
- Philadelphia, PA
- 19101
- Center City
Date search:
Select which day you would like to search events, or select Search all days
Event search:
Type in the name of the event, or event type, e.g. 'live music'
SPORTS
Marreese Speights, the No. 16 pick in the NBA's June draft, signed his first contract with the 76ers, guaranteeing him at least $2,667,400 over two seasons, plus options for two more via the rookie salary scale.
OBITUARIES
Barbara Curtin, 82, a former professor of English, speech and drama, and the mother of six, died Monday at Neighborhood Hospice in West Chester from complications related to a chronic neuromuscular disease and a recent stroke.
Philadelphia Inquirer
The Bat signal has been burning brightly in the night sky. At 56 area theaters, fans, many in costume, eagerly queued up yesterday morning at 12:01 to be the first to see The Dark Knight, the explosive new Batman movie.
Berean Institute has been granted a 90-day provisional license to resume classes for cosmetology students, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of State said yesterday.