Two Labor Day shootings were not necessarily a surprise to Manayunk residents who have long complained about quality-of-life issues in a neighborhood known to attract a drinking crowd.

Around 2:30 a.m. Sept. 8, two people were shot following an altercation in the municipal parking lot on Lock Street. According to news reports, those involved had apparently been attending an event at the Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant.

The victims, shot in the calf and buttocks respectively, were taken to Temple University Hospital, and treated for nonlife-threatening injuries.

Julius Walker, 22, of Domino Lane, Roxborough, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and weapons offenses after an investigation by Northwest Detectives. He was taken into custody the night of the shootings.

The incident underscores the problems that some residents say are caused by neighborhood bars catering to overly intoxicated patrons in a section of Philadelphia that, while considered relatively safe, seems to be a haven for drunken young people.

"I was absolutely not surprised," Manayunk Neighborhood Council President Kevin Smith said of the shooting. "It's inevitable, is what it is, (and) it's going to get worse and worse."

Smith has long pushed for stricter enforcement along Main Street, which is home to many bars and has gained a reputation of being a booze-soaked commercial district where it's not uncommon for retail merchants to arrive at work in the mornings and find the aftermath of late-night partying at their doorsteps.

The same goes for residents, who have become accustomed to the sight of litter - and worse - in their front yards.

"You're tired of your house being vandalized. You're tired of picking up bottles and cleaning up vomit up off your steps," said Shurs Lane resident Cindy Newman, who lives two blocks from Main Street.

Newman was born in Philadelphia, but lived in Florida for two decades. She moved back to the area three years ago, but some days, she regrets her decision. Unfortunately, while Manayunk has been revitalized, she's starting to see the community revert back to days of old.

"When I left Philadelphia, nobody would live in Manayunk," she said, adding she's worried that same sentiment will begin to be felt once again if things don't improve.

Newman's husband, Mike Wakeley, shares a similar view. Today, he'll route his late-night dog walks just to avoid running into problems. He did this on Labor Day when he witnessed armed security personnel frisking people outside the Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant.

"It's kind of a little bit unnerving when you walk down the street and there are 12 guys with guns," he said.

Armed security signaled something big was going on at the restaurant. Some say it was a private party for an NBA player, while others say it was a monthly event known as "Miami Monday."

The restaurant's owner, Mike Rose, could not be reached for comment.

To Wakeley, something was going on that had the potential to attract would-be troublemakers judging by the scene outside. Mondays are usually quiet on Main Street, he said, with many bars closing early.

"They don't have armed security on a regular Saturday night when college kids come in," he said.

His wife is also put off by armed security in public.

"I'd rather not be in the area if anything happens and these men start shooting," she said.

For two people, the night did end in gunfire. While police wouldn't release the names of the shooting victims, the two broke their silence when they appeared on an NBC 10 news broadcast. The victims, identified as siblings Karim and Anisha Odoms, said they attended a party for a "professional athlete" that Monday night at the restaurant.

The account they relayed had them leaving the premises, only to be accosted by a man in the parking lot who was supposedly the friend of a woman the pair apparently had laughed at on the way out.

"We actually got shot because we were in something that we tried to avoid," Anisha Odoms told NBC.

They said a total of "14 shots" must have been fired, all over a minor incident.

"They were shooting to kill," Karim Odoms said on the broadcast. "All you heard was so many gunshots."

The Odoms could not be reached for comment for this story.

On TV, the pair said they don't blame the bar for the incident, but blame unruly individuals.

The neighborhood council's Smith disagrees.

"I blame the bars, because human behavior is well documented," said Smith, who would like bars to be more proactive in cutting people off. "Drunks have been irresponsible and destructive since alcohol (was) invented."

It's simple math. You get so many drunks out there, something's going to happen. It's not rocket science."

Joe DeCandido, general manager at Mad River, cautioned against blaming bars for isolated incidents such as the shooting.

"You can't control people," once they are outside in the streets, he said.

Someone who drinks too much at a house party can cause problems just the same as someone who imbibes at a bar, he said. In the end, it comes to personal responsibility.

Wakeley, the resident, while tired of the late-night problems linked to drunken patrons, agreed that businesses shouldn't always be blamed for incidents like the shooting.

"I'm not so sure the bar is at fault," he said. "They're hosting the party, so they are bringing people in, (but) they really can't control what happens in the parking lot."

Reporter Jon Campisi can be reached at 215-354-3038 or jcampisi@phillynews.com