Close up image of a caretaker helping older woman walk

A Kentucky man was arrested after he entered a skilled nursing facility on Tuesday and made threats to shoot employees. His son’s mother works at the facility.

Luke Gamble, 22, was holding his toddler when he began to make threats to shoot people inside of Providence Pavilion in Covington, KY, unless the child’s mother arrived to speak with him.

The facility’s administrator stayed with the employee and called 911, telling authorities that Gamble was armed, and that the couple had “past domestic situations,” according to local reports.

A call for comment to the administrator of Providence Pavilion was not returned by press time Thursday.

Gamble began running through the facility with the child when police arrived. He eventually handed the 15-month-old to an employee and exited the building, where he was taken into police custody. Authorities discovered that he did not have a gun.

Gamble was charged with resisting arrest and wanton endangerment, and was ordered Wednesday to be held on a $10,000 bond. If convicted, he faces up to 6 years in prison.

Rafael Haciski, Esq., a producer in the Health & Human Services Division at insurance and employee benefits brokerage the Graham Company, told McKnight’s the facility reacted properly by calling 911, and stressed that all nursing homes could benefit from taking a proactive approach to preparing for similar situations.

“We typically preach to our clients that, similar to an elementary school having a fire drill, conduct a mock active shooter exercise that’s as close to the real thing as you can get,” Haciski said. “You can assess how far along everyone is, and use that as a base for education.”

Even though Gamble was ultimately unarmed, Haciski noted that this week’s incident can be used “as a stepping stone … because now we know it’s real and we need to be prepared for it.”