Report: Driver who hit, killed high school senior had three times the legal blood-alcohol limit

LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - The driver accused of hitting and killing a high school senior had three times the legal blood-alcohol limit, according to an arrest report.

Keenan Jackson, 37, is charged with DUI resulting in death, reckless driving and driving without a valid driver’s license in the fatal crash.

Authorities said he hit 18-year-old McKenzie Scott, a senior at Arbor View High School who was just days away from graduating.

Jackson immediately identified himself as the driver to police arriving at the scene around 11:25 a.m. on Friday. He added that the sedan he was driving “belonged to someone else,” according to the report.

The officer Jackson spoke with also noted his “bloodshot, red, watery eyes... unsteady gait, slurred, mumbled and slow speech” as well as the “strong odor of an unidentified alcohol on his breath as he spoke.

Jackson initially denied drinking before the crash, but when asked to complete a field sobriety test, he failed multiple tasks. He also blew .286 on a breathalyzer test, more than three times the legal limit of .08.

Jackson was arrested shortly after.

A witness told officers that he heard a “loud scream and the sound of a pedestrian being hit by a vehicle” during the crash. Another said they saw a backpack fly through the air.

A third witness told police they saw Jackson speeding through the intersection before the crash, and that nothing was blocking his view of the crosswalk as he approached.

A city spokesperson said that a traffic engineer visited the intersection Monday afternoon. The city recently installed dividers along Whispering Sands Drive in 2024, but a study will be done to evaluate other possible improvements needed in the area.

A GoFundMe was created to help Scott’s family.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story said the driver had twice the legal blood-alcohol limit.

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