Stow Police are investigating a murder-suicide that occurred at a Taco Bell and resulted in the death of 25-year-old Megan Keleman, a recent graduate of Cleveland State University.
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An Ohio family is mourning after their loved one was killed in an apparent murder-suicide at the drive-thru of a Taco Bell restaurant, local police said.
A Taco Bell employee called Stow police at 7:19 p.m. Wednesday to report that a vehicle in the drive-thru line had struck the rear of a woman’s car, Police Chief Jeffrey Film said during a news conference Thursday. While officers were responding to the “accident on private property,” they received several 911 calls about a shooting at the same location, he added.
Witnesses at the scene told police that a man got out of his vehicle in the drive-thru line, approached the car in front of him and shot the driver, Film said. The man then killed himself with the gun, the police chief said.
The Summit County coroner identified the woman as 25-year-old Megan Keleman of Stow and the man as 53-year-old Jason Williams, also of Stow, Film said.
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Why did Jason Williams shoot Megan Keleman?
Williams’ motive is unknown, but investigators are continuing to gather evidence to determine why he shot Keleman and himself, Film said. Authorities have no information to suggest the two knew each other before the shooting, he said.
Witnesses also told investigators that Williams began honking at Keleman as she pulled in front of him in the drive-thru line, the police chief said. Williams then rammed the back of Keleman’s vehicle, after which she told the employee over the drive-thru speaker to call 911. According to the film, Williams shot Keleman and then herself shortly afterward.
“As a police chief and community leader, I want to say this is a true tragedy,” Film said. “Not only have the Kelemans lost a daughter, but we as a community have lost one of our daughters. We are all parents and we don’t have an answer at this time as to why this happened, and we may never know.”
“Our family is suffering an immensely painful loss”
During the press conference, Stow Police Lt. Heather Prusha read a written statement from Keleman’s family.
“In light of recent events, our family is suffering an immensely painful loss of Megan Elizabeth Keleman,” the statement said. “We appreciate the community’s support and hope our wish for privacy will be respected so we can continue to focus on supporting one another during this difficult time.”
According to her social media pages, Keleman recently graduated from Cleveland State University, where she earned her Master’s in Business Administration and her Bachelor’s in Finance and Financial Management Services.
On her LinkedIn page, she described herself as a “child advocate and accountant.” She worked for Shelter Care Inc., a Tallmadge, Ohio-based residential treatment program for children ages 6 to 18 who have emotional or behavioral problems.
A dog was also in Keleman’s car during the shooting, according to the police chief. The dog is now with Keleman’s family after officers took him to an animal shelter to be washed, he added.
There are “not so many murders” in Stow
There are “not that many murders” in the town of Stow, which is why the police department asked the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) for assistance in the investigation, according to the film.
“In a situation like this, we want to do our job as well as we can and I think their additional resources will help us figure out how this happened,” the chief said of the BCI’s involvement.
The last murder in Stow happened five or six years ago, Film said.
“Our community is a great community, a safe community,” he said. “This is just a tragic event that we are now dealing with and trying to understand.”
Taco Bell helps the authorities
Taco Bell, which closed its Stow location after the shooting, issued a statement to the Akron Beacon Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.
“Our priority is to consider the well-being of the team and move at their pace,” the statement said.
The fast-food chain also expressed its dismay over the shooting and confirmed that the franchise owner and operator were cooperating with authorities as they investigated and offering support to team members who were present during the incident.
Contributor: Alisson Toro-Lagos/ Akron Beacon Journal
