Police ID two murder victims

Police this morning identified two victims of unrelated murders.

In the earlier case, someone shot Maurice Harris, 25, of Fairhill Street near Cumberland in Hartranft, just after 4 p.m. outside his home, police said. Officers responding to a report of gunfire found Harris slumped over on the front steps of a home on the block, with gunshot wounds to his chest, back and wrist. He died 20 minutes later at Temple University Hospital. Investigators say Harris had just arrived there when a dark sedan pulled up, and two men jumped out and began firing at Harris. Police listed no motive or suspects.

About an hour later, someone shot Earnest Pearson, 45, of 25th Street near Berks in North Philly, on Cabot Street near 27th, police said. Police responding to a report of gunfire found Pearson with a gunshot wound to his chest inside a car repair shop, and paramedics declared him dead at the scene at 5:40 p.m. Investigators determined an unknown man entered the shop, pointed a shotgun at Pearson and blasted it twice before sprinting away. Officers followed oily, bloody footprints a block or so away to a nearby property on Girard Avenue near 26th in Fairmount, where they declared a barricade situation and called the SWAT team, police said. SWAT officers searched the property but found no gunman. Police listed no motive or suspects.

Tipsters or witnesses are asked to call homicide detectives at (215) 686-3334 or -3335.

There have been 154 murder victims so far this year, which is up from 141 at the same time last year, according to police data.