The family of an Ohio woman who was fatally shot by a stranger in a Taco Bell drive-thru line has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the estate of the man who murdered her before killing himself.
Megan Keleman, 25, became trapped in the pickup line at a Taco Bell in Stow, a suburb of Akron, on August 14, 2024, around 7:30 p.m., after placing a mobile order. As she waited in her car, with her dog, Penny, in the passenger seat beside her, Jason Williams, 53, rammed her from behind several times. Keleman called her father, Nicholas Keleman, when she was unable to move her car due to the lack of a bypass lane at the drive-through.
According to the lawsuit, obtained by Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS, Williams was visibly upset, screaming and waving his arms. A Taco Bell employee heard Nicholas Keleman yelling for someone to call 911 over the drive-thru intercom, so the employee did. Meanwhile, Williams had gotten out of his car and approached Megan Keleman with a pistol. Williams killed Megan Keleman and himself with two gunshots, while the victim’s father remained on the phone.
According to WEWS, authorities were unable to determine whether or not the two knew each other.
The police “found an open bottle of liquor in the center console of Mr. Williams’ vehicle, as well as a cup with a clear liquid in it,” according to the lawsuit.
Second, according to the complaint, at least one person knew Williams was dangerous.
“Mr. Williams’ psychiatrist later reported that she had seen him that day, and was not surprised that he had committed suicide,” claimed the lawsuit.
According to the plaintiffs, Williams had a long history of criminal activity, but he was consistently able to avoid meaningful accountability and custody.
“Every sign and indication in Mr. Williams’ life, in the months and years leading up to this tragedy, was that he was on a dangerous downward spiral,” according to the suit. “This included suicidal threats and multiple criminal charges involving weapons and alcohol.”
The complaint describes Williams’ criminal history, which includes “a long history of alcohol- and gun-related offenses.” Williams was charged with carrying a concealed weapon in 1994, a felony that would have barred him from possessing weapons if convicted, but he eventually pleaded guilty to a lesser charge that allowed him to keep his guns. The cycle repeated in 2023, when he was charged with driving while intoxicated but eventually pleaded guilty to a significantly reduced charge, according to the lawsuit.
“There would be several more charges before his death,” the complaint states. Keleman’s family believes that had Williams been properly monitored, he would still be alive.
According to the lawsuit, in August 2024, Williams was not only out on bond on a felony charge of improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle and operating a vehicle while intoxicated, but he also failed to obtain a court-ordered ankle bracelet that monitors the presence of alcohol in a person’s sweat, known as a SCRAM device.
“At the time of his death, Mr. Williams was prescribed nine different medications, including two antidepressants, a medication used to treat addiction, and a seizure medication,” according to the complaint. “Nonetheless, he remained in possession of firearms and out on bond.”
The lawsuit also described a January 2024 encounter with police after Williams called an alcohol abuse and treatment center and threatened to “blow [his] brains out.” Police responded to Williams’ home, where he allegedly drank “copious amounts of wine directly from the bottle, in their presence, during an active suicidal crisis,” and also “described a specific plan he had for killing himself with two guns.”
However, rather than arresting Williams, the police officers “permitted Mr. Williams to promise he would go to a’resort-type place’ outpatient facility in Indiana after they left,” according to the complaint. Police allegedly never followed through on their promise.
The defendants are Williams’ estate administrators, as well as unnamed “individuals and entities whose negligence, recklessness, willfulness, and wantonness contributed to and/or caused the death of Megan Keleman.”
“Defendants’ actions demonstrated a conscious disregard for the rights and safety of Megan Keleman and the rest of the public, acting with reckless indifference to the consequences to others despite being aware of their conduct and knowing there was a great probability of causing substantial harm,” according to the lawsuit.
Rebecca Sremack, an attorney, filed the complaint on behalf of Megan Keleman’s parents, Nicholas and Kelly Keleman. It seeks a jury trial, compensatory and punitive damages. Sremack told WEWS that the lawsuit is intended to highlight the need for changes to gun laws and police responses to suicide crises, as well as the requirement of “safety exit lanes” at drive-thru restaurants.
“There are several ways to seek change, and I believe a lawsuit is one of them,” Sremack told the station.
A representative for Williams’ estate commented on the procedural aspects of their role.
“This is a tragedy for everyone involved, and my role as the estate administrator is to comply with all of the procedural and statutory requirements,” attorney T. Nadas told WEWS.
Stranger who shot woman in Taco Bell drive-thru line had a history of firearms arrests and suicide threats: lawsuit
by Travis
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