LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Louis McGlothlin woke up Dec. 5 in Lincoln, Nebraska, climbed into his Ford pickup truck and drove nearly a dozen hours to Lafayette, where he killed a man and wounded a second man and a woman that night, police say.
McGlothlin, 73, arrived at the laundromat in the 3100 block of South Street about 7:40 p.m., grabbed his handgun and walked through the doors at the southwest end of the laundromat.
Without saying a word, McGlothlin turned to his left and fired, mortally wounding 35-year-old Keith Ford of Lafayette. McGlothlin and Ford never knew one another, according to police.
Paramedics later rushed Ford to IU Health Arnett, where he died.
Police investigate a shooting that left four wounded – two of them dead – at the laundromat on 3100 South St. Photo taken Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Lafayette, Ind.
McGlothlin continued to fire, wounding 30-year-old Salvador Antonio De La Cruz Reyes and 32-year-old Renee Martin.
According to a 911 call from one of the two men in the laundromat who hid in a back room with another man and avoided being shot, Reyes was wounded in the leg or hip, and Martin was shot in the chest or arm. Their wounds were not life-threatening.
McGlothlin fired eight shots inside the laundromat, police said. None of the three 911 calls police received indicated that the man said a word or that his victims knew him.
The 911 caller said McGlothlin was wearing a gray sweatshirt and a black hat. He told dispatchers he did not witness the shooting.
The Journal & Courier emailed the 911 caller, a Purdue student, asking for an interview, but he has not responded.
After shooting his victims — none of whom McGlothlin knew — the Nebraska man stepped into the parking lot, stood beside his 2023 pickup truck and shot himself in the head, police said.
McGlothlin died almost 36 hours later at an Indianapolis hospital. His autopsy indicated his death was suicide. Ford’s killing was ruled a homicide.
Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Man who hid during Lafayette laundry shooting describes aftermath in 911 call
