A maintenance worker at a South Los Angeles senior home walked into the lobby and opened fire on his own co-workers, wounding three before police found him hiding on another floor minutes later.
Quick Take
- Police say a 60-year-old staff member shot three co-workers at Progressive Home for the Elderly in South Los Angeles.
- Officers arrived within two minutes and took the suspect into custody without a struggle.
- The suspect, identified as Darryl Arnette Barnes, now faces three counts of attempted murder.
- Witnesses say Barnes had argued with a co-worker and the property owner shortly before the shooting.
What Happened Inside The Senior Home
The shooting broke out around 10:50 a.m. at Progressive Home for the Elderly, located in the 7000 block of Denver Avenue. Police upgraded the initial call to a possible active shooter situation once they realized shots had been fired inside the six-story building. Officers found three victims in the lobby area. Deputy Chief Marc Reina confirmed the sequence, saying his officers reached the scene fast and secured it without further violence.
None of the wounded were residents of the facility. All three victims were co-workers of the suspect, and one remains in critical condition, according to reporting from the Los Angeles Times and ABC7. Officers swept the entire six-story building afterward and confirmed no other employees or residents were hurt. That detail matters. It shows the violence stayed contained to the specific dispute among staff, not a random attack on vulnerable seniors living there.
Suspect Identified As Longtime Facility Employee
Police identified the shooter as Darryl Arnette Barnes, 60, of Los Angeles. Reports describe him as a maintenance worker, with some accounts calling him head of maintenance at the facility. He was found on another floor of the building and taken into custody without incident, roughly two minutes after officers arrived on scene.
Court records cited by local reporting show Barnes was formally charged three days later with three counts of attempted murder. The charges reportedly include firearm-use and great-bodily-injury allegations, which can add significant prison time if he is convicted. An arrest is only an accusation. Barnes has not been convicted of anything, and the case will now move through the normal court process, including arraignment and any preliminary hearings.
Witnesses Describe A Workplace Dispute Turning Violent
Multiple witnesses told reporters that Barnes had argued with the property owner and with a co-worker shortly before he opened fire. One witness said Barnes told people nearby, “I’m tired,” moments before shooting began. Detectives have said they are still working to confirm the full motive, so the workplace-conflict explanation rests on witness accounts rather than a final official determination. Still, the timing lines up with what people inside the building described that morning.
This case fits a troubling pattern in long-term care work. A recent healthcare workforce survey found nearly half of all nurses experienced workplace violence in the past year, with the number climbing to 55 percent among long-term care nurses and aides. Most of that violence has historically come from residents or their families, not co-workers, which makes this shooting an unusual variation on a familiar risk.
Why Senior Care Facilities Face Elevated Risk
Federal workplace-safety data has long shown that healthcare and long-term care settings report a disproportionate share of workplace violence incidents nationwide. Staffing shortages, emotional strain, and close quarters between employees create conditions where conflicts can escalate quickly. This shooting adds to a list of violent incidents at senior living facilities across the country in recent years, reinforcing calls from industry groups for better security screening and conflict-resolution training among staff.
JUST IN: A gunman fired shots from a building rooftop in Los Angeles, wounding several people.
The suspect is now in custody, according to Citizen.
A shooting happened at the Progressive Home for the Elderly, a senior assisted-living facility on the 7000 block of Denver…
— Bella (@stockbella) September 21, 2026
Investigators have not yet said whether Barnes legally owned the firearm used in the attack, a detail that remains under review. For now, the confirmed facts are straightforward: a staff dispute preceded gunfire in a senior home lobby, three co-workers were shot, no residents were harmed, and the accused shooter sits in custody awaiting the next steps in a serious criminal case.
Sources:
nypost.com, yahoo.com, abc7.com, nytimes.com
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