In Ashland, Oregon, a white man was arrested and is suspected of fatally shooting a Black teen in a motel parking lot Monday morning following a heated altercation that, according to authorities, started over loud music.
KTVL 10 reports that 47-year-old Robert Keegan was still on the scene when police arrived after he allegedly shot 19-year-old Aidan Ellison outside of the Stratford Inn. Keegan was staying at the motel with his son after the Almeda Fire caused them to be displaced from their home in Talent.
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“The victim had apparently been playing some music loudly in the parking lot and this upset the suspect, which caused the suspect to go down and engage him in an argument,” Tighe O’Meara, Ashland Police chief said, KTVL reports.
According to NBC 5, Ellison was shot once in the chest. O’Meara confirmed that “the person responsible for the shooting was still on scene and was detained immediately by the officers.” He also mentioned that paramedics tried to save Ellison but were unsuccessful.
“It was utterly senseless, didn’t need to happen, people getting violent with each other for such stupid reasons,” O’Meara said, NBC reports. “Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done.”
ABC 12 reports that Keegan made his first court appearance virtually on Tuesday where he was arraigned. He is currently being held without bail at the Jackson County Jail and is charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter in Ellison’s death. Keegan is also charged with unlawful possession of a weapon for concealing a firearm without a concealed carry permit as well as reckless endangering, a charge related to another person who was present during the shooting, according to KTVL.
Sara Jones, Ellison’s roommate, told ABC 12 that “Aidan had the kindest kind of soul” and that “he was a good kid. He was full of laughter love. He, he was just a great person. He always liked to have fun.”
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