95-year-old accused of shooting assisted living center employee
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Lafayette, Colorado (KCNC) — The 95-year-old man accused of shooting an employee at an assisted living center in Lafayette is identified as Okey Payne. Managers said they are “devastated.”
Payne is a resident of Legacy Assisted Living. He was arrested after the shooting occurred in the lobby at around 7 a.m. on Wednesday.
The shooting victim is in his 40s was on life support, but has since died. His name has not been released.
Police say Payne allegedly shot the victim in the head over a dispute involving money. Payne faces charges of first degree murder and menacing.
The Legacy released the following statement about the shooting to CBS4 in the afternoon:
“We are devastated by the incident that took place at our community this morning. In consideration of privacy laws and the integrity of the investigation process, we cannot share specifics about those involved. Our thoughts and prayers are with our employee and their family, as well as our residents and staff who are understandably shaken by what took place. Our chief concerns at this time are providing comfort and care to all that have been impacted. As it is an active investigation, we will not be commenting further on this matter.”
The facility is located at 225 Waneka Parkway behind the Flatirons Community Church complex. After police arrived at the scene they arrested the male suspect in his room and locked the facility down.
“The facility was not evacuated. It was locked down while officers searched. We immediately got on scene and began searching and we accounted for all occupants of the building. Everybody is accounted for and is safe,” said Lafayette police Deputy Chief Brian Rosipajla.
An investigation is ongoing into how the shooter got access to the gun, which police recovered.
Police in Lafayette said there haven’t been any recent incidents of a criminal nature at the facility.
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