A man police said was recently terminated from his job at a Burbank retirement home has been charged with murder after allegedly killing an employee at the facility.
San Fernando resident Paul Lawrence Dunbar Haney IV, 27, is scheduled to appear in a Pasadena courtroom on Sept. 2 for arraignment on the charge, which includes an allegation that he used a knife during the attack at the Burbank Retirement Villa West on Grismer Avenue last Friday, July 30.
Authorities have not released the name of the 27-year-old woman and retirement home employee, whom police said died after being stabbed in her arms and neck during the morning attack. Friends of the woman gathered this week at a small memorial in front of the facility to mourn her death.
“There is no indication that this is a random act of violence,” Burbank police said in a statement announcing Haney’s arrest. “The suspect and victim knew each other. The suspect had been recently terminated from the business.”
Burbank Fire Department paramedics took the woman to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to Burbank police.
The Burbank Police Department said that its officers found Haney, who allegedly matched the description of the suspect, running from the area of the attack. Haney refused to comply with officers’ directions, the BPD added, swinging at them with a knife before being taken to the ground and detained.
A spokesman for Burbank Retirement Villa West said the home is cooperating with the police’s investigation, but provided few details other than confirming that a former employee had attacked a worker.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm that there was an incident this morning at Burbank Retirement Villa West,” Anthony DiMonte, legal counsel for Burbank Retirement Villa West, said in a statement. “We’re doing everything possible to ensure the safety of our staff and patients. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the victim’s family, friends, and coworkers.”
— City News Service contributed to this report
