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Thomas McKeown, 86, was allegedly killed after his son, Mark McKeown, repeatedly ran over him. The elderly man was rushed to the hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries. The tragic incident took place on Saturday, November 11, 2023, at about 8:30 pm local time in the parking space of a bar in Florida.
Law enforcement officials have further claimed that Mark McKeown, 61, was possibly impaired while he was driving the truck. Mark allegedly fled the area after hitting his dad and leaving him to die.
Thomas McKeown's son was released on bail in the hit-and-run case
Investigating officers arrived at a tragic scene on Saturday at about 8:30 pm local time in the parking space of R Bar in Treasure Island, Florida. The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office has also confirmed the same. Thomas McKeown was struck and possibly dragged by a truck in the parking lot.
Upon arrival, police discovered the truck that was possibly involved in the alleged hit-and-run case was being driven by Thomas' son, Mark McKeown. Investigators added:
"The truck then (reversed) and (moved) forward multiple times, running over him each time before leaving the scene."
Authorities soon arrested Mark and further charged him with the felony of leaving the scene of a crash that involved a death. He was booked into the Pinellas County Jail. Mark, however, was released from jail after he posted $50,000. News outlets couldn't get any information regarding any attorney possibly appointed to speak on behalf of the suspect.
According to the arrest affidavit, the suspect came back to the crime scene on foot. He then pretended as if he didn't know what had happened. Mark also claimed that he was driving the truck but hadn't crashed into anyone.
Police discovered that Thomas McKeown's son was impaired at the time
As has been mentioned before in the introduction, authorities believe that the primary reason behind the incident was the driver's impairment during driving. Authorities are yet to reveal additional details regarding the case. They also revealed that the car possibly involved in the crash was a 2019 black Dodge Ram that was present in the parking lot.
News outlets have tried reaching out to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office but did not receive any response initially. The Sheriff's Office later said,
"Investigators learned that a 2019 black Dodge Ram backed into a parking space in the parking lot. McKeown [the father] walked towards the truck and appeared to fall to the ground in front of the truck."
Authorities further stated:
"Throughout the course of the investigation, investigators learned Thomas McKeown’s son, 61-year-old Mark McKeown, was operating the pickup truck that struck Thomas."
The case is an ongoing investigation, and authorities are trying to unearth all the possible details that might be related to the alleged hit-and-run case that killed Thomas McKeown.
