A 19 year old Black teenager was shot and killed in the parking lot of an Ashland, Oregon hotel in late November after an argument about loud music, according to police.
Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara told CNN that Robert, 47, shot Aidan Ellison, 19, in the chest around 4:20 a.m. at the Stratford Inn while Aidan sat in his vehicle. Aidan was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say the two had argued about the volume of the music Aidan was playing.
The chief said Robert was staying at the hotel with family because they had been displaced by the Almeda Drive wildfire that swept through Oregon in September. In a Facebook post, O’Meara said the suspect “chose to bring a gun with him and chose to use it.”
Robert was arrested and charged with second degree murder, first degree manslaughter, unlawful possession of a firearm and recklessly endangering another person. He pleaded not guilty in court and is being held at the Jackson County Jail without bail. His next court date is set for February 2021.
On Thanksgiving Day, activists held a vigil for Aidan at the hotel. In a Facebook post, the group Southern Oregon Black Leaders, Activists, and Community Coalition said the shooting reflected the region’s history with racism. Those are the group’s views, and police have not said race was a factor in the case.
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