95-year-old kills employee over money at assisted living facility, Colorado police say
A longtime employee at an assisted living facility in Colorado got to work Wednesday morning and was greeted by a resident in the lobby who claimed the worker owed him money, according to KDVR and other media outlets.
A few minutes later, a shooting at The Legacy Assisted Living was reported to police in Lafayette, according to KMGH.
The 95-year-old resident, identified as Okey Payne, shot the employee, a man in his 40s, who later died, KKTV reported.
Payne told police investigators he thought members of the facility’s staff were “trying to kill him and take all his money,” according to an arrest affidavit obtained by KUSA.
“It’s a tough scene for anybody to come to,” a spokesperson for the Lafayette Police Department said during a news conference posted on Fox 31. “It’s a very tough scene — anytime that our officers are getting dispatched to a shooting, especially in a retirement community.”
Payne has reportedly lived at the facility since October 2019, a spokesperson for Legacy told KUSA. He told investigators that staff has been stealing from him since then, the affidavit stated.
After shooting the worker, Payne reportedly pointed the gun at two other people trying to help, police said. When officers found Payne in his room, he told them he was sorry, but that he was “glad the thievery will stop,” the affidavit said, according to KUSA.
The Lafayette Police Department and Adult Protective Services investigated the theft claims but found they were “unsubstantiated,” according to the affidavit.
Payne had previously been told by staff that he was not allowed to have a gun and confiscated one from him, locking it up in a storage facility, the affidavit said. It’s unclear whether the same gun was used in the shooting, according to the affidavit.
Payne was booked into Boulder County Jail Wednesday on charges of first-degree murder and felony menacing, the Lafayette jail’s roster says.
The assisted living facility released a statement about the shooting on Facebook.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of a beloved and longtime employee during a shooting incident at our community,” the statement said. “Our priority at this time is providing comfort and care to all that have been impacted by this senseless act … While we cannot speak to specifics of this incident, we can confirm that we have a gun policy and that firearms are prohibited onsite.”
This story was originally published February 4, 2021 at 1:34 PM with the headline "95-year-old kills employee over money at assisted living facility, Colorado police say."