Man kills hotel worker after couple denies him cigarette lighter, Kentucky cops say

A man is accused of opening fire in the lobby of a Best Western hotel, killing a worker, Kentucky police say.

The fatal shooting happened 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11, at the hotel in Paducah, according to the McCracken County Sheriff’s Office. Paducah is in Western Kentucky near the state’s border with Illinois.

According to a news release, the incident began when Robert Pannell assaulted a couple in the hotel’s parking lot after they would not give him a cigarette lighter. He then entered the hotel, shot the worker “and shot multiple rounds indiscriminately,” the sheriff’s office said.

Pannell, a 55-year-old hotel guest from Palm Coast, Florida, threw his gun in the lobby of the hotel after the shooting, investigators said. He was found by deputies in the hotel’s parking lot.

The female worker, whose name and age has not been disclosed, was shot in the head and body and was taken to a local hospital. She died that afternoon, the sheriff’s office said.

Multiple others were nearby when Pannell opened fire, but no one else was struck by the gunfire, the press release states.

It’s unknown why Pannell was in Paducah. He was charged with first-degree murder, along with assault and wanton endangerment charges.

He remains in the McCracken County Jail as of Monday, Feb. 14.

This story was originally published February 13, 2023 at 10:49 AM with the headline "Man kills hotel worker after couple denies him cigarette lighter, Kentucky cops say."