The Murder of Carl Tomberlain

November 16, 2007 A longtime Eagles fan, Carl Tomberlain, loved his birds.

"Almost everything he owned has an Eagles logo on it," said Carl's wife, Rose.

The 42-year-old father of two went on a service call to fix a furnace around 5:30 Wednesday evening November 7th. The location was 18th and Norris Streets in North Philadelphia, a neighborhood that Rose said he never worried about going to.

"He just thought he was safe."

But then, the unthinkable happened.

"They walked up behind him and just shot him and took off," Rose said.

Residents in the area said they heard the shot, saw two men running away and called 9-1-1. And so far, as in many recent cases, police said witnesses are not coming forward.

"His wallet was in the van, the key was in the door to the van. He was opening the van so the key to the van was right there, they didn't attempt to take anything," Rose explained.

Family, friends and community members have gathered together a $10,000 reward.

Here's how it works. You call the tip-line at 215-546-TIPS and you'll get a code number. Once your information leads to an arrest and conviction you will meet with a member of the Citizens Crime Commission to pick up your reward, no questions asked.

"Everybody has been really supportive."

Rose said the family is understandably still in shock but they're getting help from friends and Carl's colleagues.

"At least there's people around. I don't feel totally alone in this."