A Black teenager was shot in a hotel parking lot days before Thanksgiving because of a dispute over loud music, according to police.

The victim, identified as 19-year-old Aidan Ellison, was shot in front of the Stratford Inn in Ashland. The inn was about 16 miles north of the California-Oregon border.

The shooting happened in the early morning of Nov. 23, as reported by NBC News. The suspect was a 47-year-old Oregon man.

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Ellison was with his friend Sara Jones and her cousin that night, when the young man could not sleep.

Jones, 35, said she gave Ellison her car keys to listen to music, but she had fallen back to sleep as she still had work in a few hours. 

Police Coming In

Jones noted that she got a knock at the door around 4:50 a.m. from the police, who asked her if a black male was staying with her, to which she then answered yes.

Police then told Jones that Ellison was not in trouble, but he was possibly shot and they needed to find him as it was a matter of life or death.

When they went down to look for Ellison, Jones saw his body near a tree, and some shrubs and paramedics tried to save him.

In a statement, police said the paramedics immediately tried to render aid on the scene. However, police said that Ellison was beyond help and died on the scene.

"From what I was told was there was an argument over loud music," Jones said in a report.

She added that the front desk tried to break up the argument, but Ellison was already shot when he went back inside.

Jones resided at the inn and met the victim from their work. They were working at a local fast-food restaurant.

Ashland Police Chief Tighe O'Meara said in a statement that the event is 100 percent the fault of the suspect named Robert Paul Keegan.

O'Meara said the only thing that caused the teen's murder was the suspect's actions, adding that it is entirely insignificant what led up to it.

The chief admitted that there was an argument over loud music. However, he maintained his stance that this did not happen because of loud music, but because the suspect chose to bring a gun with him and chose to use it. 

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Based on police statement, Keegan reportedly pulled a gun from inside his coat and fired a single shot, which had hit the victim in the chest.

The owner of the Stratford Inn, Jim Tumpane, said the whole staff is grieving and angered by the killing of Ellison.

Tumpane offered his condolences and said that their hearts grieve for Ellison's family and friends.

"We also welcome and greatly encourage the posting of 'Black Lives Matter' signs on our property," Tumpane said.

Keegan lives in nearby Talent. He was arrested at the scene and was still in Jackson County Jail on Monday.

He was booked on second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, reckless endangering, and unlawful possession of a firearm.