Las Vegas high school senior struck, killed by DUI suspect outside campus entrance
Just 25 days away from graduation, an Arbor View High School senior was struck and killed by a vehicle, just steps from the school’s main entrance.
The student, identified by multiple classmates and their parents Friday as McKenzie Scott, 18, was struck while in a crosswalk on North Buffalo Drive, just off the school’s grounds in the far northern part of the Las Vegas Valley.
The crash happened just after 11 a.m. on Friday, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Scott, whose identity had not been released by the Clark County coroner’s office as of Friday night, was pronounced dead at University Medical Center shortly after the crash, according to a social media post by Metro.
“We are mourning the loss of this young life,” Arbor View Principal Duane Bickmore said in a letter to the school community Friday afternoon. “Our thoughts go out to the family and the entire Arbor View High School community as we all mourn.”
In a video posted to the official Metro X account just after 4 p.m. Friday, Metro Lt. Anthony Cavaricci said the driver of the vehicle that hit Scott “stayed on scene.”
Police later identified the driver as Keenan Jackson, 37, of Las Vegas. Police said Jackson, who was driving a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, “showed signs of impairment during field sobriety testing” and was arrested and transported to the Clark County Detention Center.
Police said Jackson “failed to yield the right of way” and hit Scott. After the collision, Jackson sideswiped an unoccupied vehicle parked on Buffalo.
“Unfortunately today, we have a senior in this high school who is not going to be able to put on her cap and gown and walk down to receive her diploma,” Cavaricci said. “It’s extremely sad.”
‘Unimaginable loss’
Clark County School District Superintendent Jhone Ebert called the student’s death an “unimaginable loss” in a statement posted to X Friday evening.
“She was a senior — full of promise, nearing graduation, and looking forward to a bright future,” Ebert said in the statement.
Ebert encouraged people to “remain vigilant and cautious, especially in areas near our schools.”
In his letter, Bickmore said school officials were working “to ensure students have the support and resources they need to get through this very difficult time.”
He said counseling resources were available.
“While this is a police investigation and we do not have additional information to share, I want to take this opportunity to remind drivers to please use extreme caution when driving near schools and areas where students travel to and from school,” Bickmore said in the letter.
Crash site memorial
After the crash scene was cleared Friday afternoon, activities resumed at the school. A dance show that began at 6 p.m. went on as scheduled, as did a spring football practice for the Arbor View Aggies football team.
In the stands watching the practice was Kat Norris, wife of Arbor View football coach Sam Norris. She said she didn’t know the Scott family personally, but she added that the stretch of Buffalo Drive near the school is often “crazy.”
“They really do need to put lights there or something,” Norris said. “It’s a terrible tragedy. We’re just praying for the family.”
Tina Weaver was heading to her car in the school’s parking at around 6 p.m. Friday. She’s the mother of an Arbor View freshman.
“What her parents must be feeling, it’s unimaginable,” Weaver said. “We think our children are safe when we send them to school. I can’t even imagine. It’s so sad.”
Weaver said she knows that some students who drive to the school park in the Four Seasons at Elkhorn Springs neighborhood on the other side of Buffalo Drive. That means they would routinely walk in the crosswalk where Scott was struck.
“We live near here and it’s just a dangerous area,” Weaver said. “There’s not much respect for school zones.”
‘Speeding is a really big problem around the school’
At around 7 p.m., some Arbor View students began to show up near the crash site. Some came with flowers while others brought posterboard sheets for messages and lit candles.
One message read “Rest in Peace. Heaven gained an angel” while another said “Forever 18” with the hashtag #LLMS for “Long Live McKenzie Scott.”
Nicole Davis was there with her daughter, Kielee Davis, a 17-year-old junior at Arbor View. Nicole also has a sophomore boy at Arbor View.
“It was heartbreaking to find out someone from our school was hit by a car,” the younger Davis said. “I’ve noticed that speeding is a really big problem around the school. There’s not really a designated place for students to cross and the speed limit on that road is 40, so people drive a lot over that. I’ve seen a lot of close calls out here.”
The crosswalk where Scott was hit was dotted with green lines and words to signify where the collision happened. The crosswalk markings were faded and the crosswalk sign doesn’t have flashing lights seen at newer crosswalk areas around the valley.
“It’s devastating,” Nicole Davis said. “Something more really needs to be done to improve safety in this area.”
Scott’s death marks the 59th traffic-related fatality in Metro’s jurisdiction in 2025.
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.