A pool tournament at a neighborhood bar in East Mount Airy turned deadly late Monday night when a 37-year-old man was shot inside Uptown Cafe and later died at a hospital, according to 6abc Philadelphia. The back of the Stenton Avenue spot, usually home to friendly trash talk and clinking cue balls, quickly became a crime scene.
Police were called to the 8100 block of Stenton Avenue just before 11 p.m. and found the victim unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds. Officers rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Investigators said most of the shell casings were clustered near the pool tables in the rear of the bar, and they recovered a broken pool cue. They believe a fight that broke out during the tournament may have escalated into gunfire, as reported by 6abc Philadelphia.
Mount Airy context
The killing is the latest in a run of shootings that have shaken East Mount Airy in recent weeks. On April 14, a man was shot and killed in a fatal midday attack on Chew Avenue, a reminder that gunfire has periodically flared in the neighborhood, as detailed in Hoodline’s coverage of a fatal midday shooting on Chew Avenue.
Citywide picture
Citywide, the numbers tell a more hopeful story, even if certain blocks are not feeling it. Homicides in Philadelphia are down sharply compared with last year. Through late March, killings had dropped by roughly 56 percent, according to CBS News Philadelphia. Still, the data show that violence remains stubbornly concentrated in particular neighborhoods.
Investigation
Detectives remained at Uptown Cafe into the night, interviewing witnesses and combing the rear of the bar for evidence. Investigators recovered shell casings near the pool tables and the broken cue stick, and they are working on the theory that a dispute during the tournament spiraled into a shooting, as reported by 6abc Philadelphia. Police said the investigation is active and the circumstances leading up to the gunfire remain under review.
