JOLIET, Ill. — An argument about a washing machine between two residents at a suburban Chicago nursing home turned deadly on Friday, authorities said.

>> Read more trending news

William Paschall, 71, of Joliet, is accused of using his fellow resident’s walker to allegedly beat the man to death on the sixth floor of the Salem Village Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, the Chicago Tribune reported.

According to a news release from the Joliet Police Department, Paschall was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated battery to a person 60 years of age or older.

Police responded to the nursing home in Joliet at about 9:25 p.m. CST, according to the Tribune. Officers discovered a 61-year-old man unresponsive in a laundry room, WLS-TV reported.

Despite life-saving efforts, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the television station.

Both men were residents of the facility, police said.

According to a preliminary investigation by Joliet police, Paschall allegedly attacked the victim in the laundry room over the man’s use of the washing machine.

A staff member attempted to intervene between the two men, but Paschall allegedly punched the victim “multiple times” in the head and used the man’s walker during the attack, WBBM-TV reported. The force of the punches and the walker caused the victim to fall to the floor, authorities said.

Staff members called 911 and provided medical assistance to the victim until police arrived, according to the Tribune.

The Will County coroner’s office has not released the name of the victim or the cause of death, according to the newspaper.

Paschall was detained and taken to the Joliet Police Department, police said. He was charged by the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office.

An investigation is ongoing.