Taco Bell murder suicide in Stow, Ohio: Megan Keleman shot dead waiting in line at drive thru by Jason Williams of Cuyahoga Falls who then shoots self dead as investigators seek motive.
Searching for answers… A 25 year old woman waiting in line at a Taco Bell drive-thru in Ohio was fatally shot before her killer turned the gun on himself in a suspected murder-suicide, Wednesday night.
Megan Keleman sat in the driver’s seat with her dog as she ordered food at the fast food outlet when Jason Williams, 53, rammed the rear of her car just before 7:20 p.m. in Stow, OH, according to cops.
Keleman, who graduated from Cleveland State University in May, then asked a Taco Bell employee on the other end of the speaker to call 911.
Random interaction?
It’s at this point Williams exited his vehicle, walked up to Keleman, shooting her at point blank, before shooting himself, Stow Police Chief Jeffrey Film said Thursday at a press conference.
Witnesses told detectives that the gunman began blowing his horn at Keleman moments earlier after Keleman pulling in front of Williams entering the drive-thru line.
Both Keleman of Stow and Williams of Cuyahoga Falls were pronounced dead at the scene.
The Summit County Medical Examiner identified both and noted Keleman was a homicide victim and died from gunshot wounds to the neck.
Williams’ death was ruled a suicide from a gunshot to the head.
Investigators described the weapon used during Wednesday as a .40-caliber Sig Sauer P229.
In the hours following Wednesday’s shocking gun violence, investigators sought to ascertain whether the victim and killer knew each other, with Film telling reporters, ‘We have no information to indicate that the two subjects knew each other.’
Mental health crises
‘As chief of police and a community leader, I would like to say that this is a true tragedy. Not only the Kelemans lost a daughter, but we as a community lost one of our daughters.’
Film suggested Williams may have been undergoing a crises of kinds, with Wednesday night’s ‘random’ interaction with another driver potentially setting of Williams. Of note, Williams had recent interactions with officers just months below (more below).
The police chief also told reporters that the last time a homicide had occurred in the close knit community of Stow was over five years ago.
Police said that upon Keleman’s vehicle having been struck the 25 year old called her father, according to bodycam footage.
‘I’m gonna stay on the line, I’m coming right up there,’ Keleman’s father can be heard telling an officer.
Keleman’s family said they were ‘enduring an immensely painful loss’ following the death of their daughter.
‘We appreciate the community’s support and hope that our request for privacy will be honored so that we can continue to focus on supporting each other through this difficult period,’ the family said in a statement.
Prior criminal history and an ironic death
While Film said Williams had only one OVI arrest on his record, he was arrested in April for several offenses including a weapons charge, according to Cleveland19.
He was indicted on April 14 for improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle and operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and or drugs, the outlet reported.
He was released on a $5,000 bond in May, under the condition of not possessing any firearms.
Keleman earned her Masters degree in Business Administration from CSU in May. She majored in Finance and Financial Management Services and was described as an ‘active leader on campus.’
She helped lead campus tours, organized student orientations around CSU and served as the editor-in-chief of the university’s student newspaper, ‘The Cauldron.’
‘We send our deepest sympathies to Megan’s family, friends and loved ones. We have lost a caring, engaged and optimistic member of the CSU community,’ CSU President Dr. Laura Bloomberg said.
Perhaps most ironic is Keleman according to her Linkldn profile had recently earned certificates in trauma and mental health counseling, in light of suggestions that her killer may have been going through a series of mental health issues.
Police to date have yet to discover a motive behind Wednesday’s shooting, conceding that they ‘may never know why.’
