LANCASTER, PA – A Lancaster County jury has again found Lamar Douglas Clark guilty in connection with a 2014 shooting inside a crowded bar that left one man dead and two others injured.
Clark, formerly of the 100 block of Millersville Road in Manor Township, was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, two counts of aggravated assault, and 11 counts of recklessly endangering another person following a five-day retrial. Judge Merill Spahn, who presided over the case, ordered a 90-day pre-sentence investigation. Clark remains in custody without bail pending sentencing.
The charges stem from a November 7, 2014, shooting at a bar on the 500 block of East Chestnut Street in Lancaster. During the incident, Clark fatally shot 54-year-old Barry Diffenderfer and wounded two other individuals. Though Clark was previously convicted of third-degree murder in 2016 and sentenced to 38.5 to 87 years in prison, he was granted a new trial after the Pennsylvania Superior Court determined his former attorney had been ineffective.
Assistant District Attorneys Mark Fetterman and Daniel Lingousky prosecuted the case, presenting over a dozen witnesses, including police officers, forensic experts, and eight eyewitnesses—two of whom were shot and survived. All eyewitnesses testified that there was no disturbance or fight before Clark opened fire. Clark’s sister, also an eyewitness, testified that Clark drew the weapon and fired all five shots.
The defense argued that Clark acted in self-defense, claiming he was ambushed and fired one shot before struggling with another man, which caused the remaining shots to discharge. Prosecutors countered that testimony from multiple witnesses contradicted that version of events, with no indication of any altercation before the shooting began.
Detectives located Clark outside a nearby convenience store shortly after the shooting. A child handed officers a revolver containing five spent bullet casings that Clark had reportedly given him moments earlier.
After roughly six hours of deliberation over two days, the jury returned its verdict. Charges were initially filed by Lancaster City Bureau of Police Detective Stanley Roache.
