After Las Vegas student’s death, police increase presence around campus

In the wake of the Friday death of 12th grader McKenzie Scott, who was struck by a suspected drunken driver at a nearby crosswalk, Arbor View High School students said that “wild driving” near the campus has been a longtime concern.

“Not even a month ago, another student was hit while walking,” said junior Cora Kimenker, 17. “There are a ton of cops here now, but it should not have taken someone dying for us to do something. We want them to care about our safety.”

Meanwhile, Clark County School District police officers, scattered throughout the student parking lot and North Buffalo Drive, could be seen conducting traffic stops and issuing citations.

Just after 11 a.m. Friday, Scott, 18, was crossing Buffalo inside a marked crosswalk when she was struck by a car driven by 37-year-old Keenan Jackson, just off the school’s grounds, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

Scott, identified by the Clark County coroner’s office, was pronounced dead at University Medical Center shortly after the crash, according to a social media post by Metro.

Jackson struggled to stand upright while being questioned by police at the scene, according to his arrest report, which noted that his blood alcohol level was nearly four times over the legal limit.

Officers said in the report that Jackson had bloodshot eyes, a blank stare and slurred speech. He was arrested and booked on one count of DUI resulting in death, reckless driving, and driving without a valid license.

Taking more precautions

Whispering Sands Drive, where Arbor View’s main entrance is located, also has few crosswalks and stop signs, said Mya Jones, a sophomore who walked to school Monday morning. Jones, 16, suggested that speed bumps be installed on the school’s main roads to prevent crashes.

“I hope that, as a community, we are taking this as a chance to grow,” Jones said. “We need to be aware of the dangers and take more precautions.”

Around 6:30 a.m., dozens of parents could be seen dropping their children off near the front of the building. Some temporarily retreated from the driver’s seat to watch as they crossed the street.

School counselors also stood near the crash site, which had been decorated with stuffed animals, candles, and — since Saturday — prom corsages left in Scott’s memory. Counselors were there to offer support to grieving students.

A day after the crash, Kimenker said, Arbor View held Prom “as if nothing happened,” though she added that many students were shaken. Friends have said that Scott planned to attend the event and was slated to graduate a few weeks later.

One student, Maximus Ewing, a junior at Arbor View, demanded, in a series of Instagram posts, that changes be made to popular crossing areas on Buffalo. Among the three posts, he had amassed more than 500 likes as of Monday afternoon.

Ewing told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he had witnessed a student cyclist being hit by a car at the same crosswalk where Scott died weeks ago. Neither of the two crosswalks near the campus had flashing pedestrian crossing signs, as seen in newer areas of the valley.

“As students, we need to make our voices heard. Are we going to sit back and wait for the next death? Absolutely not,” Ewing wrote in the post. “Do not sit here in silence when a student has died. Make the change that this school needs.”

‘Can happen to anyone in Vegas’

Michael Fraley, 44, who dropped his son off at Arbor View that morning, told the Review-Journal that he has grown frustrated by the frequency of fatal crashes throughout the valley. Scott’s death marked the 59th traffic-related fatality in Metro’s jurisdiction since the start of the year.

“Something like this can happen to anyone in Vegas,” Fraley said, adding that speed bumps may slow down reckless drivers. “The whole thing is tragic. My wife and I feel horrible for the family.”

The Arbor View softball team will dedicate its playoff game Tuesday night to Scott and her family, according to a Facebook post. The organizer asked attendees to wear flannel shirts in her honor.

Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.