Police say 47-year-old Robert Keegan shot and killed 19-year-old Aidan Ellison at 4 a.m. in the parking lot of the Stratford Inn, where they were both guests.
Ellison鈥檚 mother, Andrea Wofford, announced at a press conference on Tuesday that her family plans to file two lawsuits 鈥� one against Keegan for her son鈥檚 death, and another against the Stratford Inn for alleged recklessness that led to the shooting.
鈥淥ther than that, what can I do?鈥� Wofford says. 鈥淐an鈥檛 bring him back. I just don鈥檛 want it to happen to someone else鈥檚 son, or daughter, and swept under a rug.鈥�
Keegan remains at the Jackson County Jail under several charges, including first- and second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, and unlawfully possessing a firearm. His pre-trial conference is set for mid-February.
On Nov. 23, Keegan notified hotel staff that Ellison was playing loud music in the parking lot, according to police reports. They say he then argued with Ellison, returned to his room, got a gun, and shot him in front of a hotel staff member.
Keegan has a history of abuse, according to court documents from 2012 and 2013, in which a judge assigned him to battery intervention after violating a restraining order.
Attorney Justin Rosas says the lawsuits against Keegan and the hotel will help Ellison鈥檚 family gain access to more information about Ellison's death through the legal process of discovery.
鈥淲e will find that information out using the civil process, in some ways because we have to,鈥� Rosas says.
His office also aims to create an independent civil remedies investigation unit to 鈥渉old the civil system accountable and explore additional remedies,鈥� reads a press release.
鈥淥ur community must create solutions both inside and outside of existing institutions in order to create an antiracist Southern Oregon,鈥� it reads. 鈥淭his team is committed to training a certified racial equity investigator who can be dispatched quickly when cases of racial bias and discrimination occur.鈥�
