73-year-old Louis McGlothlin opened fire inside of a Lafayette laundromat last December, but newly released police video has shed light on what led to the incident.. Photo by Michael Förtsch, Unsplash.

News Release

LAFAYETTE — A new video provides more information about why a Nebraska man started shooting in a Lafayette laundromat in early December 2024, leading to one murder and the gunman eventually shooting himself in the head.

According to earlier reports, Louis McGlothlin went inside Lafayette Laundry on the evening of Thursday, Dec. 5, and began firing his gun. Four people, including McGlothlin, were found with gunshots at the laundromat. A man who was later identified as 35-year-old Keith Ford was confirmed dead. McGlothlin was taken to the hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and pronounced dead two days after the shooting.

In the video, police say that McGlothlin targeted Lafayette, where he lived as a child, and claimed that the city controlled his mind. It was reported that McGlothlin had planned the shooting for a while.

A department official said in the video that this is the result of a full investigation and that the case is closed.

Viewers are guided through the incident in the video, with audio of a 911 call related to the shooting, footage from the policeman’s body camera and surveillance footage of the shooting.

McGlothlin entered the laundromat at 7:39 p.m., opened fire and left less than a minute later, according to surveillance footage. McGlothlin fired about seven bullets, hitting three people including Ford. McGlothlin then left the laundromat after his firearm stopped working.

In the parking lot of the laundromat, McGlothlin pointed the gun at his head. The gun did not discharge at first. After solving the malfunction, video shows McGlothlin shot at the street to test the gun and then fired a round into his head. McGlothlin was confirmed dead on Saturday, Dec.7.

After presenting a video of the fatal incident, Lafayette police officials provided information on what led to the shooting.

On the morning of the shooting, McGlothlin reportedly left his home in Nebraska and drove to Lafayette. Evidence was collected during police investigation from McGlothlin’s home and a car driven by him.

The investigation also revealed video recordings that would have been filmed by McGlothlin before the shooting.

Some of those clips have been presented by the department in its video, where McGlothlin talks about a “cancer” that has grown within Lafayette.

Based on the videos, department officials said McGlothlin had been planning an attack for some time, as some footage looked to be a few years old.

McGlothlin is said to have lived in Lafayette as a child. According to the video, the only part of the area McGlothlin knew was the intersection of South Street and Earl Avenue.

The video states that the laundromat may have been just a business open in an area McGlothlin knew well.

The police department reported that this shooting was a random act of violence and that there was no known connection with the victims.

Lafayette Police Department has released the video to the public. It can be seen on the department’s official YouTube Channel. The video is graphic and viewer discretion is recommended.