LPD: Nebraska man opened fire at Lafayette laundromat, claiming city was ‘controlling his mind’

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A new video from the Lafayette Police Department provides more information on what led a Nebraska man to open fire at a laundromat in early December 2024, killing one person and eventually shooting himself.

According to previous reports, 73-year-old Louis McGlothlin entered Lafayette Laundry on the evening of Dec. 5, 2024, and opened fire. Four individuals, including McGlothlin, were found at the laundromat with gunshot wounds. A man, later identified as 35-year-old Keith Ford, was pronounced dead. After shooting himself in the head, McGlothlin was taken to a hospital and was pronounced dead on Dec. 7.

In the video, officers state McGlothlin had targeted Lafayette, a place where he lived as a child, claiming that the city was controlling his mind. McGlothlin had reportedly been planning this shooting for some time.

What does the video show?

Officials with the department said in the video that this was the result of a fully investigated incident, and the case is now closed.

“Our goal with this briefing is to remain open and transparent with our community by sharing the details of what occurred, the actions taken by our officers and the conclusions of the investigation,” the video stated.

The video takes viewers step-by-step through the incident, including audio from a 911 call related to the shooting, as well as officer body camera footage and surveillance video of the shooting itself.

According to surveillance footage, McGlothlin entered the laundromat at 7:39 p.m. and “began firing indiscriminately” before he exited at 7:40 p.m., unfolding in less than one minute. McGlothlin fired around seven shots, struck three people, including Ford. McGlothlin then left the laundromat after a malfunction occurred with his firearm.

In the laundromat’s parking lot, McGlothlin placed the gun to his head. The gun initially failed to discharge. The video shows that McGlothlin cleared the malfunction, fired a round toward the street to test the gun and shot himself in the head. McGlothlin was pronounced dead on Dec. 7.

What led to the shooting?

After police featured video from the shooting, officials with the Lafayette Police Department provided information on what led to the fatal incident.

McGlothlin reportedly left his Nebraska home that morning and drove to Lafayette the day of the shooting. During the department’s investigation, evidence was collected from the vehicle that McGlothlin drove, as well as from his Nebraska home.

The investigation also uncovered video recordings that McGlothlin had reportedly made before the shooting.

“In these recordings, he spoke about his belief that individuals in Indiana, specifically in Lafayette, were controlling his mind,” officials stated in the video. “The content of these recordings strongly suggests that (McGlothlin) was suffering from undiagnosed and severe mental health issues.”

The department featured some of those clips in their video, McGlothlin talking about the “cancer that’s been allowed to develop within the city of Lafayette.” Based on the videos, officials with the department said that McGlothlin had been planning the attack for an “extended period” with some of the footage appearing to be several years old.

“You have to bust these people up,” McGlothlin said in one of the clips. “They want your energy.”

McGlothlin reportedly lived in Lafayette as a child. The video stated that McGlothlin’s only familiarity with the area was reportedly at the intersection of South Street and Earl Avenue.

“It is believed that he targeted the laundromat simply because it was an open business in an area he recognized,” the video stated.

The police department stressed that there were no known connections to any of the victims and that this particular shooting was a random act of violence.

The video has been released to the public by the Lafayette Police Department. It can be viewed at this link. The video is graphic and viewer discretion is advised.