63370363
George J. Fox, 44, was always willing to lend a hand when needed.
Thomas Barr, owner of T Barr’s Bar, 2201 S. Eighth St., had a void behind the bar Saturday night, as his scheduled bartender took off to attend a graduation party. Fox, a former employee, hadn’t mixed drinks at T Barr’s for about three years, Barr said.
“He filled in as a favor for me and this is what the favor did for him,” Barr, a Mayfair resident, said. “It was assassination, not robbery. [The robber] didn’t even give him a chance.”
The establishment’s five surveillance cameras captured the hooded assailant, who was wearing gloves, Barr said, noting the attacker “whacked [Fox] in the head and started stabbing him” before snatching about $600 from the cash register.
Fox, of the 1400 block of South Eighth Street, suffered stab wounds to his chest and arm at 1:14 a.m., according to police. He was pronounced dead within 11 minutes.
“The people who have seen the crime they haven’t been able to sleep at night,” Barr, a native of 29th and Dickinson streets, said. “That’s how brutal it was. I’m glad I didn’t see it.”
And the family — that includes his five children — is coping the best it can. Glenn Fox, the oldest of the offspring, hadn’t seen his father for about a year.
“It’s definitely very rough,” the Northeast Philly resident said. “We didn’t have too much of a relationship with him, but, at the same time, in a situation like this, it’s very devastating.”
“Everyone has just been shocked,” Debbie DiAntonio, Fox’s girlfriend of 10 years, added. “You just can’t believe someone could do something like this.”
The New York native who has spent most of her life in South Philly last spoke with him about two hours before his death.
“He called me to make sure that I came home and I was safe,” she said of a 10:55 p.m. phone call on Saturday. “He called me and that was the last time I talked to him. He told me he was busy in the bar.”
The location kept its doors shuttered Monday for investigators, and reopened Tuesday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., which will continue to be its hours of operation until Fox’s burial. After that, Barr plans to close by midnight.
“I’ll never be open late again,” the 76-year-old said. “Period.”
Since January, the City has offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those who committed any homicide. The bar is offering an additional $1,000 reward and also is accepting donations at the bar for the family.
“Someone has to know this guy,” Barr said of the offender. “Someone had to I think. Someone in that bar knew him.”
Fox’s viewing will be held 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Mitchum-Wilson Funeral Home Inc., 1410 S. 20th St.
To report information, call Homicide Division at 215-686-3334 or visit www.phillypolice.com/forms
Contact Managing Editor Amanda L. Snyder at asnyder@southphillyreview.com or ext. 117.
Also in this week’s Police Report:
Cuffed in, carried out
Officer arrested for dealing
Alleged arsonist arrested
Freaky Friday
Web-exclusive Police Report:
Cleaned out
A vile vial
Neighborhood bar stickup
Broad Street Line theft
28043647
