The jury trial for a man who gunned down his neighbor because the neighbor complained about dog poop on his lawn started yesterday.

Tyrirk Harris, 28, has been charged with murder, weapons offenses and related charges for the murder of Franklin Manuel Santana, 47. Santana was shot to death on February 14 following an argument with Harris about the dog waste on the front lawn of his residence in the 6500 block of Torresdale Avenue.

According to investigators, on the day in question, police were called to the vicinity in response to a report of a shooting just after 4 p.m. When officers from the 15th District arrived, they found Santana lying on the ground suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the face and chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene by responding medics.

Witnesses told investigators that Santana had arrived home from work when he saw Harris’ German shepherd and Chihuahua doing their business on his lawn. Investigators learned that Santana went to Harris’ residence in the same block and asked him to clean up the mess. Allegedly, that’s when Harris pulled out a .9mm hand gun and shot him in the face. Harris allegedly stood over Santana and shot him again, several times in the chest.

Santana left behind a wife and child.

Witnesses also told police that Harris didn’t leave the area, and police arrested him immediately upon their arrival.

“There were dog feces on several of the neighbor’s yards. That’s what led to this particular confrontation,” said Chief Inspector Scott Small in a previous interview. “The dogs were running around free.”

According to investigators, the argument over the dog waste had been an ongoing issue with several verbal confrontations taking place before the shooting.

Contact crime reporter Larry Miller at (215) 893-5782 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .