On November 23, 2020, Aidan Ellison, 19, was shot and killed in the Stratford Inn parking lot in Ashland, Oregon, after a dispute about loud music. Ellison, a Black man, had been listening to music in a car when Robert Paul Keegan, a 47-year-old white hotel guest, confronted him from a second-story room and later went down to the lobby to complain. The argument escalated; at about 4:20 a.m. Keegan fired a single shot that struck Ellison in the chest. Ellison was pronounced dead at the scene.

Keegan was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, unlawful possession of a firearm, and reckless endangering. He pleaded not guilty, asserting self-defense and alleging Ellison had punched him, but an autopsy found no injuries on Ellison’s hands and police reported no visible injuries on Keegan. A Jackson County jury later convicted Keegan of first-degree manslaughter, unlawful possession of a firearm, and reckless endangering; he was acquitted of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to a total of 12 years in prison, with credit for time served awaiting trial.

Did anyone witness the confrontation in the parking lot or have information about what led to the escalation?