Staff at Park Tavern, a St. Louis Park institution for more than half a century, describe the bowling alley, bar and grill as a community gathering place that represents one big family: a place for baby showers and class reunions, first dates and eventual wedding receptions.

Kristina Folkerts was part of this family. Her mother worked there when she was pregnant with her. For the past two years, the lively 34-year-old, who now has three little daughters of her own and has a beaming smile, has also worked there as a waitress. A few days ago, she and a colleague officially started dating.

She was working in the crowded outdoor seating area Sunday night when a driver came out of the parking lot at high speed and crashed into the patio, killing Folkerts and a guest – Gabe Harvey, an employee of nearby Methodist Hospital – and injuring several others.

“Look at all the flowers. This place is home to the children of the children of the children, third-generation families that have been coming here for years, for decades,” Phil Weber, owner of the Park Tavern for 45 years, said Monday afternoon next to a makeshift memorial on what was left of the patio fence. “Nobody can understand this.”

Officials identified the driver Monday as Steven Frane Bailey, 56, of St. Louis Park, who was taken into custody the night before. Police took Bailey to the Hennepin County Jail around 12:10 a.m. Monday on suspicion of two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the crash that occurred shortly after 8 p.m.

Bailey remains in custody without bail pending arraignment, which could be filed as early as Tuesday.

At the scene of the tragedy on Labor Day, employees and community members gathered with hugs, tears and disbelief. Methodist Hospital, part of the HealthPartners & Park Nicollet system, sent a grief counselor to help its employees.

A statement from HealthPartners confirmed that an employee at Methodist Hospital – about a mile from Park Tavern – was the other fatality, while four nurses at the hospital are among the injured. An online fundraiser identified Harvey, who worked as a health unit coordinator while in nursing school.