The neighborhood around the town of Poughkeepsie experienced a tragedy involving Marist College last weekend.

A father visiting his son at upstate Marist College in Poughkeepsie, during the college’s “family weekend,” was shot and killed after a shooting incident at a nearby hotel.

In a Facebook post, the town of Poughkeepsie Police Department confirmed that they received a 911 call about what they termed as 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 later 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 has been 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 began arguing with hotel staff and several other people early that morning when he went to get coffee.

The Poughkeepsie police officers were called to the hotel, located on South Road, at around 7:30 a.m. on Sunday. When police arrived, they found the victim in the hotel and rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his gunshot wounds.

Johnson, who shot the victim, had carried a handgun down to the lobby, and shortly after the arguments started, he opened fire on the innocent man. The man had added a Glock switch to 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.

After 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.

According to Cavaliere, even though Johnson did not know the victim, he intended to shoot him.

During a search of the shooter’s and his companion’s hotel room, police found bomb-making materials and instructions for creating explosives.

Marcus Molinaro, Dutchess County Executive, consoled the family of the victim. He said the incident tragically affected innocent bystanders going about their business in the hotel lobby and was horrifying and unfortunate.

A Marist College spokesperson said that the school was in touch with relevant authorities and would keep the school community updated on the matter. The school offered condolences to the deceased’s family and any support they needed from the school community.