Security guard found tied up, dead at storage facility in Southwest Philadelphia

SOUTHWEST PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A security guard was found tied up and dead inside a van at a storage facility in Southwest Philadelphia and police are treating the investigation as a homicide.

The discovery was made shortly after 3:00 Sunday afternoon at Locker Room Storage Inc. in the 2200 block of 62nd Street.

Authorities say a manager found the 69-year-old employee inside a conversion van at the facility. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sources say he was tied up and had massive head trauma.

His name has not been released pending notification of family.

Police say the victim had been living for years in a conversion van. That van was found smashed into the fence.

The victim was found in a different van on the property.

The family said they had last seen the victim around 3 p.m. Saturday.

"He was a big guy. It had to be more than one person to challenge him and take him down like that," said the victim's friend, Albert Mosley.

A manager and friends told Action News the victim worked at the facility for several years and he would complain about people getting over the barbed wire fence.

In fact, sources say it appears the killer or killers used another van that belonged to the guard to ram the fence and make an escape.

"I just can't believe he's dead. Something else had to be going on down here for that to happen. He challenged them? They broke into this place and they challenged him and that's what happened? He wasn't the type of guy who would run away," said Mosley.

Investigators scoured over the property while detectives were inside the office looking at surveillance video.

"Right now we're looking for witnesses, we're canvassing for video, we don't have anything definitive yet but hopefully somebody will give us a call with information," said Deputy Commissioner Richard Ross, Philadelphia Police.

Those who knew the security guard say the Southwest Philadelphia man was a father, a military vet and part of a motorcycle club.

"He was a good guy. He rode motorcycles and stuff. We used to hang out and we still hung out because he work here and I got business here. It's crazy," said Walter Horton, friend of the victim.