LPD releases video from fatal shooting spree at Lafayette Laundry
Lafayette police say Louis McGlothlin believed people in Lafayette were trying to control his mind, leading him to drive from Nebraska Dec. 5 for 1-minute random spree that killed 1, injured 2 others
Lafayette police say Louis McGlothlin believed people in Lafayette were trying to control his mind, leading him to 10-hour trip from Lincoln, Nebraska, for one-minute random spree that killed 1, injured 2 others
After driving nearly 10 hours straight from his home in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Dec. 5, 2024, Louis McGlothlin spent less than a minute after pulling into the parking lot of the Lafayette Laundry to go inside and indiscriminately shoot three people before returning to his pickup truck, unjamming his handgun and killing himself, according to security video released Thursday by Lafayette police.
In an eight-minute video recapping the investigation, police say McGlothlin, 73, had a lingering belief connecting the city of Lafayette to some sort of mind control.
According to LPD investigators, McGlothlin – who had lived in Lafayette as a child – was familiar with the area of South Street and Earl Avenue and likely picked Lafayette Laundry near that corner for his shooting spree simply because it open.
In surveillance video released by LPD, McGlothlin is seen walking through the glass doors of the laundromat, 3100 South St., turn to his left and immediately start shooting.
McGlothlin shot and killed Keith Ford, a 35-year-old Lafayette man, who was sitting with his back to him. Ford died at the scene, police said.
McGlothlin then shot Renee Martin, 32, of Lafayette, was shot four times. McGlothlin shot Salvador Antonio De La Cruz Reyes once in the lower body, according to police. Martin and De La Cruz survived the shootings.
Warning: The following video, available via YouTube from the Lafayette Police Department, contains graphic and disturbing scenes, along with information about the investigation into the Dec. 5 fatal shooting spree.
In the surveillance video, McGlothlin, wearing a black stocking cap and a gray hoodie, can be seen stalking around the folding tables in the middle of the laundromat, while appearing to try to fix a malfunction with his gun.
Back at his silver F-150 pickup, McGlothlin is seen in surveillance video putting the gun to his head. Police say the gun failed to fire the first time. McGlothlin then is seen pointing the gun downward, trying to clear it, before shooting himself.
According to the LPD timeline, McGlothlin walked into the laundromat at 7:39 p.m. and was lying in the parking lot next to his truck at 7:40 p.m. McGlothlin died Dec. 7 at an Indianapolis hospital.
Police received the first 911 call about the shootings at 7:40 p.m. that night and arrived on the scene at 7:43 p.m., first coming across McGlothlin lying in the parking lot.
McGlothlin didn’t know Ford, Martin or de la Cruz, police said. And the victims did not know him.
At the scene, police say they found a rifle in his truck.
Police say the investigation showed that McGlothlin left Lincoln, Nebraska – more than 600 miles from Lafayette – at 8:30 a.m. that day, arriving in Lafayette at about 6:49 p.m. Verma said McGlothlin entered the city on South Street after coming off Interstate 65.
What McGlothlin did in the 50 minutes between arriving in Lafayette and going to the laundromat weren’t immediately clear, Sgt Shawn Verma, public information officer for LPD, said Thursday.
In Lincoln, Lafayette police found recordings McGlothlin made.
“In these recordings, he spoke about his belief that individuals in Indiana, specifically in Lafayette, were controlling his mind,” Verma said. “The content of this recording strongly suggests that Lewis was suffering from undiagnosed and severe mental health issues.”
In one video LPD released, McGlothlin spoke into the camera about “the cancer that’s been allowed to develop within the city of Lafayette” and how “they want your energy … they haven’t got the initiative to go out and develop it on their own, they want yours.”
In an image released by LPD, a handwritten note indicated that McGlothlin bought a pistol and “was going to do this in the year 2000.”
“Based on the recovered videos, it is clear that Lewis had been planning this attack for an extended period,” Verma said. “For many years, Lewis' mental health had been in decline, and his delusions about individuals in Lafayette controlling his mind had intensified. While Lewis had lived in Lafayette as a child, his only familiarity with the area was South Street and Earl Avenue, along with nearby businesses. It is believed that he targeted the laundromat simply because it was an open business in an area he recognized.”
The release from Lafayette police Thursday indicates that LPD considers the investigation closed.
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