Westbrook native Shawn Mckeough tackled an armed robber, likely protecting several innocent people in the process, only to be shot in the face by another assailant, court documents revealed.

Mckeough was killed inside a Valero Big Red gas station and convenience store in North Little Rock, Arkansas, on Friday night. He was 23.

Police arrested one man, 18-year-old Drequan Lamont Robinson, on Monday night and another, Keith Harris, also 18, early Tuesday. A third suspect remains at large.

Both Robinson and Harris appeared in court Tuesday on charges of capital murder, for which they could face the death penalty, and aggravated robbery. Each pleaded not guilty. They are being held without bail.

An affidavit from North Little Rock Police Detective Michael Gibbons offered harrowing details of the attempted robbery.

After conducting interviews with clerks and other customers in the store, police learned that two men, Robinson and the unnamed suspect, entered the store around 11:30 p.m. waving guns. Harris stayed behind in a parked vehicle.

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The two robbers ordered the customers, eight people in all, to lie on the floor and one armed man shouted at a cashier behind the counter, “You think this is a (expletive) game. You think I am playing. Open the drawer right now.”

At that point, Mckeough, who had entered the store with two friends to buy beer, attempted to intervene, Gibbons wrote, by tackling one robber. While that was happening, the other robber fired a shot that struck Mckeough in the face.

The cashier had turned his back to empty the register when he heard a click and then a gunshot, the affidavit said.

The two men then fled the store before the store employee could hand over any money.

Mckeough, who was a senior airman at Little Rock Air Force Base, had died by the time officers arrived.

Detectives reviewed video footage from inside the store that captured the events and helped them identify suspects. The affidavit said five different individuals were able to identify Robinson from the surveillance images.

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Mckeough’s mother, Lisa Marie Hebert, said Tuesday that the family was grateful for all the work that has been done to catch the people responsible for her son’s killing.

“We would like to thank everyone for their love and support,” she said.

Shawn Mckeough Jr. Photo courtesy NewsCenter Maine

Mckeough’s girlfriend, Sarah Terrano, also a Westbrook native, was waiting in a car outside the convenience store. She saw the robbers enter the store and later heard the gunshot. She and others were not surprised that Mckeough would engage with the robbery suspects to protect others who were in the store.

“He always put others above himself,” Terrano said.

Mckeough, a 2014 Westbrook High School graduate, enlisted in the Air Force and had deployed to Germany, Kuwait and South Korea. He had been in Arkansas since December and was serving as an aerial delivery operations specialist for the 19th Airlift Wing. He grew up mostly in Westbrook with his mother and step-father, Tom Hebert, and younger brother, Kyle Hebert. His father, Shawn Mckeough Sr., lives in Florida.

Mckeough loved camping every summer with his family and enjoyed the travel that came with military life. He and Terrano had been dating for three years. They had just adopted two puppies and had planned to close on the purchase of a house this month.

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Mckeough’s body is expected to be transported to Maine by military escort this week. A funeral service is likely to be held next week, but the family said arrangements have not been finalized.

Staff Writer Gillian Graham contributed to this story

Eric Russell can be contacted at 791-6344 or at:

erussell@pressherald.com

Twitter: PPHEricRussell

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