After murder outside Funkstown bar, officials hear from residents and bar workers

Tori Brumback said she was at her Funkstown home when she heard six shots during the early morning of April 11 and, shocked, wondered where the bullets ended up.

She ran to check upstairs to ensure her husband and son were OK.

"I'm scared. I've really never heard somebody get killed before," said Brumback, who added she cried for an hour after that.

Brumback lives within a block of Joker's Bar & Grill where Erwin Bernard Redding, 38, who lived in the Hagerstown area, was shot to death.

Darrin Anthony White, 25, of Hagerstown, has been charged with first- and second-degree murder in Redding's death. White and Redding two fought inside the bar before taking things outside.

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The Town of Funkstown hosted Sheriff Brian Albert and Washington County Liquor Board Chairman Jeff Buczkowski at Town Hall on Monday night to give them the opportunity to hear concerns from town residents and others about the homicide and the bar.

Concerns about the bar at North Antietam and West Baltimore streets have come up periodically over the years, ranging from noise issues to rowdy behavior.

On May 15, 2018, shots were fired at a minivan driving away from the area following an altercation that began in the bar, according to Herald-Mail archives. A Hagerstown man was found guilty of charges that included first-degree assault.

Mayor Paul Crampton, in a phone interview Tuesday, said that until the fatal shooting things with the bar had been quiet since a video of a September 2020 melee inside the bar went viral and was featured on TMZ's website.

After that fight, Joker's owner Josette Gustavus told The Herald-Mail she'd banned at least two people from the bar and was cooperating with the sheriff's office. A Florida man pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and received probation before judgement, according to his online court docket.

Gustavus' attorney, Eugene L. Souder Jr., said at Monday night's meeting that he's seen video from the night of the murder taken inside and outside the bar. The altercation took less than 2 minutes and the shooting happened in about 20 seconds.

Souder said it would have been impossible for anyone who works at Joker's to think the perpetrator was going to do that.

Souder said the perpetrator was "clearly agitated" and took out his gun and "shot in cold blood."

This could have happened at a grocery store or church, he said.

After the meeting, Souder said Gustavus — who attended the meeting — had no comment.

Crampton said Tuesday that while he wasn't at Joker's when the fight or shooting occurred, it could have happened anywhere.

However, "I can't speak to whether it could have been prevented," Crampton said.

The sheriff, liquor board and town officials heard from about 10 people Monday night. Some of them voiced concerns about the shooting and type of clientele the bar attracts.

Two men who said they are Joker's employees said the owner does a good job of being proactive. When there is a dispute inside the bar, employees work to get the aggressor outside, they said. The employees said they can't control what happens outside. One of the employees later clarified that while he can ask someone to leave the bar, he has no authority outside the bar.

At least one of the employees said they call the sheriff's office when there are incidents.

Albert said a duty officer will decide, depending on the type of incident, whether to dispatch deputies immediately or when they are freed up after other calls. The sheriff's office covers 450 square miles with seven deputies on duty in the evenings, running from call to call, he said.

On Tuesday, Albert said that if there's an emergency call about someone that could be harmed, the response would be expedited as quickly as possible.

The April 3 call for emergency responders was an "echo call" that went out to every law enforcement agency in the county, he said at the meeting.

Albert said he couldn't talk about the homicide because the case is pending.

Albert said he knows folks are frustrated. The suspect is in custody and when the investigation is complete, a report will be sent to the liquor board, he said.

Buczkowski said the liquor board is waiting for the sheriff's office's report on the shooting to see what comes up during the investigation. That includes who called for help.

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Several people said they don't want to see the bar's liquor license pulled or for the bar owner and employees to lose their livelihoods.

But not everyone was so kind. Sherry Moore said her back porch gives her a front-row seat to Joker's. She talked about seeing fights and drug activity in the area.

When she woke up the morning of the shooting, there was a detective in her back yard searching for the gun, she said. Two bags of marijuana were found in her yard.

"I don't even feel safe now to sit in my own back yard ..." she said.

A woman asked if calls to inform law enforcement about information about incidents around Joker's would lead to the business being called a nuisance.

Buczkowski said if someone with a bar calls for help due to an incident, that works in the bar's favor because the establishment is being proactive.

Deputy hours to increase in Funkstown

Albert said he and Crampton had worked out a contract for a community deputy, on a limited basis, to patrol Funkstown.

Crampton said Tuesday the sheriff's office has provided a deputy, on overtime, for about 20 hours a month, for years.

The new agreement provides a specific deputy to the town for at least eight hours a week, town officials said.

The one-year deal will cost the town $20,271.80, Town Manager Brenda Haynes said Tuesday.

Crampton said that costs less than the previous arrangement and provides more deputy time for the town.

Albert said the new agreement might need more signatures, but that's a formality. The new assignment starts July 1.

The sheriff's office provides similar coverage from a deputy for Clear Spring, Keedysville, Sharpsburg and Williamsport.

Brumback asked if the sheriff's office does training for neighborhood watch groups.

Albert said the sheriff's office hasn't been very proactive about that due to manpower issues, but to contact the office and he'll get someone to meet with her.

"We're going to work on making it a safer place so you feel comfortable living here," Albert said at the Funkstown meeting.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Funkstown residents share concerns with officials about murder