Family pushing for change after woman killed in Taco Bell drive-thru shooting
STOW, Ohio (WJW) – The family of a young woman who was murdered while in the drive-thru line at the Taco Bell on Graham Road in Stow is fighting to make all drive-thru lanes safer.
'My daughter would still be alive, I truly believe that,' said Nick Keleman, father of Megan Keleman.
The 25-year-old was with her dog at the fast food restaurant on August 14, 2024, when a disturbed man pulled up behind her.
Police say 53-year-old Jason Williams, who had struggled with mental health issues, began blowing his horn and ramming his vehicle into Megan's, although they don't know why.
'Whole world shattered': Local mom speaks after son killed in OVI crash; former Buckeye charged
With no escape, Keleman asked Taco Bell employees to call the police, while she was also on the phone with her father.
'I deal with this every day,' said Nick with tears in his eyes. 'I heard the fear in her voice. I couldn't get to her quick enough., I couldn't protect her.'
Before Nick or the police arrived, Williams fatally shot Megan and then himself.
Police Chief Jeffrey Film said at the time, 'we have no information to indicate that the two subjects knew one another.'
Megan's family strongly believes she would still be alive if that drive-thru had a second open/exit lane.
'You have a building on the left and an embankment on right. There's no way to get out,' he said.
Tuesday night, the Keleman family — including Megan's mother Kelly and her brother Matthew — met with Stow's planning commission in support of 'Megan's Way Out,' a zoning code proposal that would require drive-thrus to have a 10-foot bypass lane.
It's basically a second open lane that could be used for any number of emergencies.
About 40 people, mostly supporters, also attended the meeting where the bypass lanes were described as, 'necessary and important to provide for emergency and safety access in the event of medical emergencies and mechanical issues as well as improving traffic flow and congestion management on the property.'
It would apply to all new restaurants and businesses with drive-thru lanes and/or those undergoing restoration.
The planning commission unanimously passed 'Megan's Way Out.'
The next step will be full hearings in July, then public comment and a final vote scheduled for September.
Swimmer's body recovered from lake at Portage Lakes State Park: ODNR
The family hopes to start with Stow and then have 'Megan's Way Out' adopted across the state. They're getting help from a state senator.
'It's something we want to implement statewide,' said Ohio State Senator Casey Weinstein, (D) Hudson.
The family calls it common sense and said they'll be there every step of the way.
'We just want to honor Megan and make her proud and make change,' said Kelly Keleman.
The family also started a nonprofit called Megan's Rainbow of Hope to provide scholarships and 'spread happiness & kindness like confetti,' just like Megan who lived to help others.
FOX 8 reached out to Taco Bell for comment on the proposed changes but have not yet received a response.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
24 minutes ago
- CBS News
12-year-old boy accused of stealing cars in Oakland County, selling one for $30, sheriff says
A 12-year-old boy was arrested Friday in connection with a string of car thefts from a Pontiac business. The boy entered several vehicles in a business parking lot, according to authorities, and was carrying a license plate when he was arrested. Detectives say the boy has taken three or four vehicles over the last month and sold at least one vehicle for $30. "This young man is on a very bad path, attempting to live his own grand theft auto," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard in a statement. "Hopefully intervention by the courts will send him on a better life path as well as stopping the constant theft from this business." The boy is currently being held in Oakland County Children's Village, according to officials. An investigation is ongoing. Through their investigation, detectives learned the boy had taken three or four vehicles over the past month, selling at least one of them for $30.
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘Minor Traffic Accident' Led Federal Agents To Blast Into American Family's Home: Reports
A group of armed federal immigration agents in Huntington Park, California, blasted their way into a family's home Friday morning while searching for a man they accused of charging into a law enforcement vehicle, according to several media outlets. 'I just heard the loudest blast of my life,' resident Jenny Ramirez told NBC Los Angeles. 'I told them, 'You didn't have to do this. You scared my son, my baby and myself.'' Ring camera footage obtained by the outlet shows a group of armed Customs and Border Protection agents placing an explosive device near Ramirez's home before a fiery explosion breached the front of the residence. The agents then entered one by one with weapons drawn. 'If they would've knocked on my door I would have opened the door, but they blew up the window and door first,' Ramirez told ABC7. 'There didn't have to be that violence to enter my house.' Ramirez told NBC Los Angeles she heard the explosion —which blew off her door and shattered the windows — a little after 6 a.m. Friday. She said she and her two children, ages 1 and 6, were the only people inside the house at the time, which she shares with her boyfriend, Jorge Sierra-Hernandez. 'Where they broke the window, my baby was there, and before I got him out of there was when it exploded,' Ramirez told ABC7. 'My ears went blank, I imagine how they felt. They were shaking.' Ramirez said authorities did not give her any warning that they wanted to enter the home, adding that they deployed a drone into her house after setting off the explosive device. The agents werelooking for Sierra-Hernandez, who a CBP spokesperson confirmed to HuffPost was a U.S. citizen. The spokesperson said Sierra-Hernandez had 'rammed his car into a CBP vehicle, causing significant damage and obstructed agents' work during an operation.' 'During this incident, agents were assaulted, and additional rioters threw rocks and other objects at our personnel,' the spokesperson continued. 'Anyone who actively obstructs or assaults law enforcement, including U.S. citizens, will face consequences which include arrest.' However, Ramirez told NBCLA that her boyfriend had tried to stop his Jeep, but unintentionally hit the back of a CBP truck carrying federal agents. She said federal agents informed them they were free to go after the crash and that her boyfriend planned on turning himself in. Sierra-Hernandez ultimately turned himself in, and is now free on bail, ABC 7 reported. 'This family did nothing wrong,' Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores told the news outlet. 'They were involved in a minor traffic accident and this is the level of violence and the response that we get.' You Can Actually Help Kneecap Trump's 'Mass Deportation' Arrests. Here's How. 6-Year-Old With Leukemia In Immigration Detention After Family's Arrest At Courthouse: Lawsuit Shocking Video Shows Father Of Marines Battered By ICE Agents
CBS News
33 minutes ago
- CBS News
Sean "Diddy" Combs' lawyer calls prosecution of music mogul a "fake trial," says evidence "badly exaggerated"
Sean "Diddy" Combs was portrayed in his lawyer's closing argument on Friday as the victim of an overzealous prosecution that tried to turn the recreational use of drugs and a swinger lifestyle into a racketeering conspiracy that could put the music mogul behind bars for life. Attorney Marc Agnifilo mocked the government's case against Combs and belittled the agents who seized hundreds of bottles of Astroglide lubricant and baby oil at his properties as he began his four-hour presentation Friday in a New York courtroom. "Way to go, fellas," he said of the agents. He said prosecutors had "badly exaggerated" evidence of a swinger lifestyle and threesomes to combine it with recreational drug use and call it a racketeering conspiracy. "He did not do the things he's charged with. He didn't do racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking," the lawyer said. Agnifilo said of Combs: "He sits there innocent. Return him to his family who have been waiting for him." Agnifilo called Combs' prosecution a "fake trial" and ridiculed the notion that he engaged in racketeering. "Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?" Agnifilo asked. "Did any witness get on that witness stand and say yes, I was part of a racketeering enterprise — I engaged in racketeering?" No, Agnifilo argued, telling jurors that those accusations were a figment of the prosecution's imagination. The lawyer argued prosecutors had invaded Combs' most intimate personal affairs, telling jurors: "Where's the crime scene? It's your sex life." Agnifilo also argued there's another factor at play in the allegations that women have lobbed against Combs: the prospect of draining him of his wealth through lawsuits. "This isn't about crime. It's about money. This is about money," Agnifilo said. In the prosecution's rebuttal, Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey said Agnifilo had spent "a whole lot of energy" trying to distract from Combs' "inexcusable behavior." "Make no mistake," Comey told jurors, "this trial was about how in Sean Combs' world, 'no' was never an option." In his closing argument, Agnifilo reiterated that the defense "owns" the fact that Combs was violent but argued that behavior does not justify the grave charges against him. Combs and R&B singer Cassie Ventura Fine had a "loving, beautiful relationship," albeit a "complicated" one, Agnifilo said. "If racketeering conspiracy had an opposite, it would be their relationship," Agnifilo said. "They were deeply in love with each other." In her rebuttal, Comey said, "Being a domestic abuser is not a defense to sex trafficking." Jurors are expected to begin deliberating on Monday. Combs' family, including six of his children and his mother, were in the audience for the defense's closing, which took place a day after the prosecution made its closing arguments Thursday — after calling on 34 witnesses over the course of seven weeks. Combs' ex-girlfriend, Ventura Fine, and rapper Kid Cudi, were among those who testified. The trial of Combs, 55, began on May 12. Prosecutors allege he relied on employees, resources and influence of his business empire to create a criminal enterprise that engaged in — or attempted to engage in — "sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for the purposes of prostitution, coercion and enticement to engage in prostitution, narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice." Combs has denied the allegations against him and pleaded not guilty to five counts. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison. Combs has been present at the trial but told U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian earlier this week that he decided not to testify. "I mean, it's my decision with my lawyers. ... My decision to make. I'm making it," he said. The defense rested on Tuesday after presenting its case for less than 30 minutes. It didn't call any witnesses. Combs' lawyers built their case for acquittal through lengthy cross-examinations of government witnesses. Some testified only in response to subpoenas and insisted they didn't want to be there. In federal prosecutors' closing arguments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik said to the jury that Combs used "power, violence and fear" to rule a criminal enterprise, which allegedly facilitated brutal sex crimes. Slavik said Combs "counted on silence and shame" to allow his abuse to continue. She also said he used a "small army" of employees to harm women and then cover it up. "He thought that his fame, wealth and power put him above the law," she said. contributed to this report.
