DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. – Pennsylvania State Police charge a male suspect in an early morning shooting at the River House Bar & Grill, 2495 E. Harrisburg Pike, in Londonderry Township. A bouncer at the bar called State Police at around 1:37 a.m. Friday to report that a unruly patron was firing a gun outside the bar. He provided a suspect description and a last direction of travel towards a wooded area along the perimeter of the bar’s parking lot. The bouncer, a 45-year-old male says more gunshots and someone screaming that they had been hit. He also said that other patrons were instructed to remain inside until police arrive.
Troopers were on scene within 5 minutes of the call. They encountered a crowd in the rear parking lot of the bar. They also found two white male victims, both 34 years old lying on the ground close to one another. One victim unresponsive with a gunshot to his chest and his clothing saturated with blood. The other victim was conscious and had sustained an injury to his left leg that was not contributed to a gunshot. Troopers are located two handguns near the victim.
More State and area police arrived on the scene. A bar patron pointed in the direction of wooded area where the suspect had fled. After a brief search, the suspect, located underneath a flatbed semi-trailer near the River House Bar parking that was protruding from the surrounding wood line. Once the suspect identified as Tanner Allen Stark, 22, of Mount Joy, was taken into custody, they discovered that Stark had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. He also told Troopers that he had a Glock 19 handgun on his person, but none was found. Police also detected a strong odor of alcohol on his breath.
Stark and the two unidentified shooting victims were transported by ambulance to the Hershey Medical Center for treatment. Police located a third victim, a 21-year-old male who suffered a gunshot wound to his leg during the initial volley of gunshots while he was standing on a deck that was facing the parking lot. He refused medical treatment.
Police questioning the bar’s bouncer’s learned that they had refused to allow Stark to re-enter the bar after it was discovered he had a handgun on his person. They described Stark becoming belligerent when told to leave the premises. As Stark was leaving one bouncer hear Stark rack the slide on the semi-automatic. Shortly afterwards shots were fired at the two bouncers. 82 patrons were at the bar.
Charges against Stark include 4 counts of Criminal Attempted Homicide, 5 counts of Aggravated Assault, Discharging a Firearm into an Occupied Structure, Possessing Instruments of Crime, Simple Assault, 82 counts of Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Disorderly Conduct, and Public Drunkenness. Following arraignment Stark is being held on $750,000 bail.
