It all started late Tuesday night when a fight broke out inside Lid's Bar at 15th and Wingohocking Street in the Logan section of the city.
One of the two men in the fight left the bar, then returned a short time later and wrestled a gun off the bar's security guard. The man then opened fire, wounding the security guard, and shooting three others repeatedly.
One of those victims died from his wounds at Temple University Hospital. The three other victims, including a woman, are being treated at Albert Einstein Medical Center. The security guard is listed in critical condition.
The shooter ran out of the bar and remains on the loose. Police have not yet recovered the gun. Investigators are hoping security cameras inside the bar captured a good image of the suspect.
Police also say clues at the scene show there may have been more than one gun used.
Taneema Fannings, the owner of a "Christ Like Childcare," a daycare center on the same block, says she has complained about Lid's time and time again.
"Nobody does fistfights anymore, this is not elementary school. People around here carry guns, they have plenty of them, and they're not afraid to use them," she said.
One man said he thinks the bar owner did the right thing by having a security guard.
"But, at the same time, what are you going to do when somebody's crazy enough to take a gun from a security guard and use it on bar goers," said Steve Alston of Logan.
Philadelphia's Licenses and Inspections Department says the last complaint about the bar was filed back in May, 2007. That was also the last time inspectors paid a visit. Lid's has no current violations with the city.
L&I says it realizes a lot of people may have called police to complain about the bar, but says people need to call them directly to request and investigation.
