A dad who was visiting his son at upstate New York’s Marist College in Poughkeepsie, during the college’s “family weekend,” was tragically shot and killed after a shooting incident in the lobby at a nearby Marriott hotel.
In a Facebook post, the town of Poughkeepsie Police Department confirmed that they received a 911 call about what they called a “disturbance” at the Courtyard Marriott hotel. During the distress call, police were informed that shots had been fired. The officers responded swiftly and two male suspects Roy Johnson Jr and Devin Taylor, were arrested at the scene.
The victim was identified as Paul Kutz, a 53-year-old accountant from Long Island, New York, the father of a student at the nearby Marist College.
Speaking to the press, Poughkeepsie Police Chief, Joseph Cavaliere, said that Roy Johnson was charged with second-degree murder and criminal weapons possession and was held without bond. Devin Taylor was charged with two counts of criminal weapons possession and was held on a $1 million bond or $500,000 cash bail.
The shooting took place after one of the suspects apparently had an argument with hotel staff and several other people early that morning when he went to get coffee in the hotel lobby.
When police arrived at the hotel on South Road, they found the victim in the lobby and rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he died of his gunshot wounds.
Johnson, who shot the victim, had carried a handgun down to the lobby, and shortly after the arguments started, opened fire on the innocent man. The man had added a Glock switch on the handgun, making it fully automatic. Glock switches, which are illegal, turn a semi-automatic gun into an automatic gun, classified by the government as a machine gun.
Authorities said the killers and victim did not know each other and believed it was a random burst of violence. Law enforcement also said that the two accused were smoking a PCP-like substance before Johnson went to get his morning coffee in the lobby.
Following their investigations, police determined that the shooter had fired shots from inside and outside the Poughkeepsie hotel. Paul Kutz, who left behind three children and a wife, was hit in the chest and torso by the bullets.
The two suspects both have prior criminal records. Johnson previously served prison time for burglary and robbery. Taylor has a previous felony conviction for burglary.
During a search of the shooter’s and his companion’s hotel room, police found bomb-making materials, and instructions for creating explosives.
A Marist College spokesperson said that the school was in touch with authorities and would keep the school community updated on the progress of the investigation. The school offered condolences to the deceased’s family and any support they needed from the school community.
