`Witness: Accused shooter was denieda drink`

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Drink refusal brought on shooting
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By Joe Pinchot
Herald Staff Writer

A barmaid’s refusal to give Quentin D. Mathews a beer brought on an Oct. 27 shooting in which a Masury man was injured, according to testimony at Mathews’ preliminary hearing Wednesday.

District Justice Henry J. Russo, Hermitage, held for court charges of aggravated and simple assault and reckless endangerment against Mathews, 18, of 1044 Hamilton Ave., Farrell.

Mathews was playing pool at the Point After Bar, 999 George St., Farrell, with Clyde Hawkins of Hermitage when Angel Mathews, who is not related to the defendant, refused to give him a drink. Ms. Mathews said she had given last call at about 1:45 a.m. and closed the cash register. Once the register is closed, only customers with chips may be served drinks, she said.

Hawkins had a chip and she served him a beer, she said. Mathews also asked for a beer but did not have a chip, so she refused and he started arguing, she said.

“They wouldn’t serve him a drink then turned around and served other people,” Hawkins told Assistant District Attorney Keith Bell. Hawkins said three other people also were served. Ms. Mathews, who had never seen Mathews in the bar before, added that she was talking with cook Daryl Bridges, and they laughed. “He must have thought we were laughing at him,” she said of Mathews.

Mathews threw a cue stick in the direction of Ms. Mathews, and Hawkins said, he tried to calm him down and get him out of the bar.

Hawkins said he bear-hugged Mathews when he saw Mathews make a motion to his pants. He said he didn’t know what Mathews was doing, but feared he was trying to get a gun. Hawkins got Mathews into the foyer of the bar, still holding him in a bear hug, when he heard three shots, he said. Hawkins told Assistant Public Defender Douglas Straub he never saw a gun that night and wasn’t sure where the shots were from, but the shots were loud and sounded like they came from near him.

Mark Harvey said he stopped at the bar to “holler at a friend,” but had never been inside before. He said after Mathews and Hawkins left, he went to leave but saw someone in the foyer. As he turned back into the bar he felt pain and a burning sensation in his shoulder. Harvey said he does not know Mathews and could not identify him as being in the bar. Ms. Mathews told Russo she didn’t realize the noise was gunfire until she saw blood on Harvey’s shoulder and he said he had been shot.

Ms. Mathews and Harvey said they heard two shots. Southwest Mercer County Regional Police Cpl. Anthony Masotto said he found a bullet hole in the inner door and the door jamb, and two bullet casings, one on the sidewalk and the other in the foyer. He said the casings were from a .25-caliber handgun. No weapon has been found, Masotto said.

Harvey said he drove himself to the hospital. He said the bullet is still in his right shoulder because a doctor said he would probably suffer ligament damage during an attempt to remove it. Mathews was returned to Mercer County Jail after failing to post $50,000 bond.

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Witness: Accused shooter was denied a drink

`Witness: Accused shooter was denieda drink`