Police in Ohio have released more details about a suspected murder-suicide that occurred at a Taco Bell drive-thru on Wednesday night.
Jason Williams, 53, shot Megan Keleman, 25, at the drive-thru on Graham Road in Stow before shooting himself, the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a news release sent to News week.
Keleman died of gunshot wounds to the neck, while Williams died of a gunshot wound to the head, the coroner said.
At a news conference Thursday, Stow Police Chief Jeffrey Film said Keleman asked an employee at the Taco Bell on Graham Road in Stow to call police around 7:20 p.m. after her car was struck by the vehicle behind her.
Shortly afterward, Film said several people called 911 to report a shooting at the same location.
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Witnesses told investigators that Williams began honking his horn as Keleman moved in front of him to get in the drive-thru line, Film said.
“Williams then rammed the back of her vehicle with his car,” Film said. “Over the drive-thru loudspeaker, Miss Keleman told the Taco Bell employee to call the police. Moments later, Williams exited his vehicle, shot Miss Keleman, and then took his own life.”
Both were pronounced dead at the scene, Film said.
Keleman’s dog was seen in the footage when the shooting occurred. A local rescue group cared for the animal before it was returned to its family, he said.
Film said investigators had no evidence that Williams and Keleman knew each other and were working to determine the motive for the shooting.
“As a police chief and community leader, I want to say this is a true tragedy,” Film said. “Not only did the Kelemans lose a daughter, but the community lost one of our daughters… We don’t have an answer at this time as to why this happened, and we may never know.”
During the press conference, Film said “many” people called 911 to report the shooting. Police later announced they had received 14 calls.
“A man just shot someone and shot himself in the head. I’m sorry, I’m really shaken up, I saw him shoot himself in the head,” a caller said, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
According to the film, investigators followed up on these people and were pursuing leads to other possible witnesses.
Williams has no criminal history, other than a previous arrest for driving under the influence (OVI), he said.
Film said the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting along with police and the medical examiner.
“We don’t have that many murders,” he said. “In a situation like this, we want to do our job as well as we can, and with their additional resources … they will help us figure out how this happened.”
Keleman graduated from Cleveland State University in May with a master’s degree in business administration after previously earning a bachelor’s degree in finance and financial management services, according to her LinkedIn page. She worked as an accountant at Shelter Care Inc., a residential treatment program for children with emotional or behavioral problems.
“Our family is suffering the immensely painful loss of Megan Elizabeth Keleman,” said a statement from Stow Police released by Keleman’s family.
“We politely ask the media and the public to respect our privacy during this difficult time. We appreciate the community’s support and hope our desire for privacy will be respected so we can continue to focus on supporting one another during this difficult time.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, texting “988” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741, or going to 988lifeline.org.
