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Posted on Thu, Mar. 18, 2010

Man gunned down in ‘nuisance bar’ men's room

By Kristin E. Holmes

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Upper Darby police were investigating the murder of a 24-year-old Philadelphia man who was shot early Thursday inside a bar that has been the subject of scores of complaints.

Tyrik Richardson, 24, was found in the bathroom of the Cheers Cocktail Lounge on the 6800 block of Market Street at about 1:43 a.m. Police were looking for a male gunman, said Superintendent Michael Chitwood of the Upper Darby Police. Authorities have the nickname of a possible suspect, but declined to release it.

Richardson was found lying on his back and was shot in the chest and heart, Chitwood said. At least eight shots were fired in the bathroom.

Police say they believe the shooting is related to an argument over drugs. About 35 patrons were in the bar when police arrived.

At a news conference Thursday, Chitwood waved a two-inch-thick pack of complaints against the lounge, which has been deemed a nuisance bar by the state Liquor Control Board.

Since January 2009, police have been called to the lounge 180 times. Chitwood called it a "cesspool," "pig's pen," and "criminal enterprise."

The bar, owned by Robert Herdelin, has been the site of shootings, stabbings and drug activity, Chitwood said.

The lounge has been cited repeatedly by the state for infractions including serving minors and serving intoxicated persons.

Herdelin could not be reached for comment. In 2008, Herdelin, a onetime La Salle University basketball player, received a citizen's award from police for capturing an assault suspect who had entered the bar, Chitwood said.

Cheers was raided in November by 40 officials, including Upper Darby police and agents with the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement. Township officials closed the bar temporarily for sanitation issues, Chitwood said.

Also in November, the state Liquor Control Board informed Herdelin that his license would not be renewed, said Francesca Chapman, spokeswoman for the agency. Herdelin is appealing the ruling, and the bar remains open during the appeals process.

The bar is on a strip in the 69th Street shopping district. The lounge's white brick facade is unkempt.

Contact staff writer Kristin E. Holmes at 610-313-8211 or kholmes@phillynews.com.