The two people who were shot dead in an apparent murder-suicide at a Taco Bell drive-thru Wednesday night in Stow were identified Thursday.
The Summit County Medical Examiner determined Jason Williams, 53, from Stow, was the person who fired the shots before turning the gun on himself. He killed Megan Keleman, 25, from Stow.
Keleman died from gunshot wounds to the neck, and Williams died from gunshot wounds to the head. Both were pronounced dead on the scene.
The shooting happened around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Taco Bell at 993 Graham Road in Stow, near the border of Cuyahoga Falls.
‘Too close to home’:Customers, employees at shopping center react to Taco Bell shooting
What led to the Taco Bell shooting?
Stow Police Chief Jeffrey Film held a press conference Thursday to give more details about the shooting.
Witnesses told detectives that Williams began blowing his horn at Keleman when she pulled in front of him to get in the drive-thru line, Film said. He then struck the rear of her car.
Keleman asked the Taco Bell employee through the speaker to call the police after her car was hit.
Police then received multiple calls about Williams exiting his car, shooting Keleman and then shooting himself.
Police later released the 14 calls they received regarding the incident.
“A man just shot somebody and shot himself in the head. I’m sorry, I’m really shaken up, I saw him shoot himself in the head,” one caller said.
A motivation has not yet been determined and there is no known relationship between the two, Film said during the press conference.
“This is a true tragedy,” Film said. “Not only did the Kelemans lose a daughter, but the community lost one of our daughters. … We at this time do not have an answer as to why this happened, and we may never know why.”
Film said a dog was also in Keleman’s car. Rubber City Rescue took the unharmed dog, washed it and returned it to Keleman’s family.
Film said there were “many” witnesses to the incident but did not have a specific number.
The Summit County Medical Examiner, Stow Police Department and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation are involved in the investigation.
Film said the Ohio BCI is involved because Stow does not have enough homicide detectives to cover the case. The last homicide in the city was five years ago.
Who were Williams and Keleman?
Film said Williams was not previously known to Stow police before the shooting but did confirm he was arrested one time for an OVI.
According to Keleman’s social media pages, she was a recent graduate from Cleveland State University. She received her master’s degree in business administration from CSU in May, and prior to that, a bachelor’s degree in finance and financial management services.
She described herself on her LinkedIn page as a “child advocate and bookkeeper.” She worked for Shelter Care Inc., a Tallmadge-based residential treatment program for children between the ages of 6 and 18 who have emotional or behavioral problems, according to her LinkedIn.
Keleman’s family released a statement through Stow police Thursday that reads, in part: “In light of the recent events, our family is enduring an immensely painful loss of Megan Elizabeth Keleman. …We appreciate the community’s support and hope that our request for privacy will be honored so we can continue to focus on supporting each other through this difficult period.”
Akron mayor, Taco Bell react to shooting
The Taco Bell restaurant on Graham Road has remained closed since the incident occurred, according to a statement from the company’s PR team.
“Our priority is to consider the team’s well-being and proceed at their pace,” the statement read.
The corporation expressed shock over the shooting and said the franchise owner and operator is working with authorities during the investigation and offering support to team members who were present during the incident.
Akron Mayor Shammas Malik took to X Thursday afternoon to share his thoughts on the shooting. He offered his condolences to those impacted by the incident.
“We must all work together to address the underlying issues that lead to violence,” he wrote.
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