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The
shooting occurred around 7 a.m. in the lobby of the Legacy
Assisted Living facility in Lafayette, Colorado, about 20 miles
northwest of Denver, when the victim arrived for work, Deputy
Police Chief Brian Rosipajla told reporters.
The worker, identified only as a man in his 40s who was the
facility’s maintenance director, was confronted by resident Okie
Payne, who pulled out a handgun and fired one round, striking
the employee, Rosipajla said.
As two people came to the victim’s aid, Payne pointed the gun at
them before retreating to his living quarters, where he was
arrested without incident, Rosipajla said, adding that police
are investigating what led up to the shooting.
“All we know right now is it was supposedly over money,” he
said.
The victim was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead
hours later, police said.
In a statement issued through its management company, Legacy
called the shooting a “senseless act” and said the facility was
making grief counselors available to residents and staff.
It was not clear how a resident would have obtained a weapon.
The facility has a gun policy that prohibits firearms on site,
the statement said.
Payne had resided at the facility since October 2019. The victim
was an eight-year employee who was “truly beloved by residents
and staff,” the company said.
Payne was transported to the Boulder County jail, where he was
held without bond on suspicion of first-degree murder, as well
as two counts of felony menacing for brandishing the weapon at
the people who tried to aid the victim, Rosipajla said.
(Reporting by Keith Coffman in Denver; Editing by Steve Gorman
and Leslie Adler)
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