Police release videos of Lafayette laundromat shooting in December
Ron Wilkins- 73-year-old Louis McGlothlin shot and killed one person and injured two others at a Lafayette laundromat on Dec. 5.
- Investigators believe McGlothlin suffered from undiagnosed mental health problems and had planned a similar shooting 25 years ago.
- McGlothlin's family was unaware of his plans for the shooting.
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Twenty seconds.
That's how long Louis McGlothlin was inside the laundromat in the 3100 block of South Street on Dec. 5, according to one of three videos Lafayette police released Thursday after a Journal & Courier public records request.
McGlothlin parked his truck in the laundromat parking lot. He locked it and fidgeted with something in his hands, possibly the handgun, then turned toward the laundromat doors.
He entered and rapidly fired seven shots, killing 35-year-old Keith Ford and wounding 32-year-old Renee Martin, who was with Ford. He also wounded Salvador Antonio De La Cruz Reyes, 30. Martin and Reyes survived the shooting but were hospitalized.
Lafayette police planned to release a public video Thursday explaining the investigation into McGlothlin's random actions of the day.
"We believe he was suffering from undiagnosed mental health problems," Lafayette police Sgt. Shawn Verma said Thursday.
McGlothlin, 73, originally was from the Lafayette area, police said after the shootings. The J&C learned he joined the Navy after he left Lafayette. Years later, he retired and settled in Lincoln, Neb.
McGlothlin apparently woke up Dec. 5 in Lincoln and spent the day driving through four states to arrive at the laundromat.
Lafayette police searched his home and discovered videos that showed McGlothlin had planned to do a random shooting about 25 years ago, Verma said.
"He planned to do something like this in the year 2000, but he changed his mind," Verma said.
Detectives found a note on a DVD from 25 years ago stating his intentions to perform a random killing, Verma said. McGlothlin's wife and family were completely unaware of his plans back then or in late 2024.
Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.