PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The recent shooting in which a Philadelphia police officer was wounded and the suspect killed has renewed city council’s push to regulate stop-and-go liquor stores and gambling machines.
Philadelphia police released a video of the Jan. 26 shooting that showed the location, called Jennifer Tavern, didn’t look like a tavern at all.
“You know, when I look at the video of what happened last Friday night, it just all came back because here was an establishment that’s supposed to be a tavern, it’s supposed to have seating for patrons, it’s supposed to be an asset to the neighborhood, where people can purchase a meal and come in and eat — and it was none of these things.”
Jennifer Tavern is a type of liquor store known as a “stop-and-go,” which sells shots and other alcohol “to go,” even though its license requires food service and dine-in space. Councilmember Cindy Bass targeted the stores as neighborhood nuisances in 2017, but she says seeing video of the incident made her realize that they are still operating with impunity.