LOS ANGELES, CA — A worker opened fire Monday morning at a senior living facility in South Los Angeles, wounding three co-workers and sending one of them to the hospital in critical condition, police said.
The shooting happened at the Progressive Home for the Elderly in the 7000 block of South Figueroa Street, where more than 100 older residents live. No residents were hurt. Police later identified the suspected gunman as Darryl Arnette Barnes, 60, of Los Angeles, and said he remained jailed on $1 million bail.
Police say the shooting began in the lobby before the suspect moved deeper into the building
LAPD Capt. Mike Bland said the gunfire started shortly before 11 a.m. in the lobby, where at least three staff members were shot before the suspect continued farther into the building. Officers said no other employees or residents were injured during the attack.
One caregiver, Dorothy Mobley, told KTLA-TV that she had just walked in when a custodian at the building said, “I’m tired of this,” and pulled out a gun. Police have not publicly confirmed that account, but detectives said they are still working to determine what led to the shooting.
Officers reached the six-story facility within two minutes and found the victims
Police said officers responded within two minutes of the call and rushed into the six-story building. Inside, they found three people wounded in the attack.
Farther inside the facility, on another floor, officers encountered the suspect and arrested him. Bland said no shots were fired when police took Barnes into custody. A handgun believed to have been used in the shooting was recovered at the scene.
Three staff members were taken to a hospital, including one in critical condition
The victims were identified only by age and gender: a woman in her 40s, a woman in her 60s and a man in his 60s. All three were taken to a hospital for treatment.
Police said one victim was listed in critical condition, though investigators have not said which person was the most seriously hurt. The condition of the other two victims was not immediately released. Authorities said the quick response helped prevent the violence from spreading to additional employees or residents.
Residents were not injured, but the attack raised alarms inside a home for older adults
The Progressive Home for the Elderly houses more than 100 residents in a six-story building, making the shooting especially alarming for people living and working there. Despite the large number of residents inside, police said no one living at the facility was injured.
City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson praised the fast police response, saying it likely saved lives and prevented more injuries. The incident left investigators focused on how a workplace dispute or other conflict may have escalated into gunfire at a facility caring for older adults.
Detectives are interviewing staff and the suspect as they search for a motive
Investigators said the motive remains under review. Detectives were trying to speak with both staff members and Barnes to understand what happened before the shooting and why it turned violent.
Police have not said whether the suspect and victims knew each other beyond working at the same facility. For now, the case centers on the shooting itself, the rapid arrest, and the recovery of the weapon believed to have been used.
When the weather turns dangerous, SVH Snow is watching.
