September 9, 2008

The time is approximately 1145. Today's date is Tuesday, September the 9th, 2008.
Speaking is Detective Timothy Hightower, of the Louisville Metro Police Department Homicide
Squad. This'll be a taped statement in regards to Case #08-197. I am currently in the parking lot
of PRP High School. This taped statement will be given by first name, David...last name Keown.

Hightower David, if you would, state your full name for

the tape.

Keown David Keown.

Hightower Okay. And spell your last name.

Keown Keown, K-E-O-W-N.

Hightower And David's a white male, and how old are

you, David?

Keown 17.

Hightower Okay. And what is your date of birth?

Keown
Hightower Okay. And what is your home address?

Keown x
Page 2 of 13
Statement: David Keown / Case #08197(f)
September 9, 2008

Hightower x

Keown x

Hightower Okay. And is that Louisville, KY?

Keown Yes, sir.

Hightower And what is your zip code?

Keown 40258.

Hightower And your home telephone number?

Keown
Hightower Okay. And you currently uh, attend PRP. Is
that correct?

Keown Yes, sir.

Hightower And what is your status here? Are you a

freshman...sophomore...ju...

Keown ...Senior.

Hightower Senior? Okay. Uh, this statement is being

tape-recorded. Does this meet with your
approval?

Keown Yes.

Hightower Okay. I'm taking this statement in reference to

the events that occurred on Wednesday, August
the 20th, of 2008, that occurred during the PRP
football practice. If you would, please describe
to me the events that occurred on that
Wednesday, August the 20th, 2008, at the
beginning and the end of practice.
Page 3 of 13
Statement: David Keown / Case #08197(f)
September 9, 2008

Keown Well, uhm, at the beginning of practice, we

always start, we come out, uhm, we get the
stuff out for the field, you know. Uhm, we get
our stretchin' in, our warm-ups...then we split
off in to team take-off. Uh, the offense go to
the left, the defense' go to the right. Uh, we'll
do team take-off's. The offense runnin' plays,
the defense runnin' plays...we run four or five
plays. Break it down, uh, then most of the time
we'll go to our position coaches, which is like
offense line, defense line. Sometimes uh,
they'll give us unscheduled water breaks and
send us to the water before the drill starts. Uh,
that day our offense coach did. And then we
came back. And then we started runnin' drills
and we ran drills and uh, then we went to buck
drill after our individual drill, which is uh,
offense and a little bit of defense going against
each other. And we started to do some of that
and that, I guess that lasted for 10, 20
minutes...uh, then after that uh, after every
drill, we went and got a drink of water. And
then halfway through practice we were walkin'
around, you know, comin' back to the field, and
then so Coach halfway through practice, just
said well, let's start runnin'. So we got us a
drink, started runnin', uh, ran gassers. Uh, got
a little bit in to 'em and uh, teammate Antonio
Calloway uh, was havin' a little pro...problem
breathin'. Uh, so Coach was like, you can go
sit down, and he went over under the shade tree
and sat down. And uh, we kept runnin' and uh,
coach let a couple players go sit down, the ones
that were runnin' hard, and uh, the ones that
didn't, then we just kept runnin', and then uh,
sooner or later uh, Max Gilpin uh, fell. And
uh, Coach uh, was uh, I guess gassers were
Page 4 of 13
Statement: David Keown / Case #08197(f)
September 9, 2008

over from then 'cause Coach was more worried

about Max than uh, us, I guess, so uh, we all
huddled up around the tree, uh, while they
were checkin' Max out. And then Coach came
over there, dismissed us, uh, said he wasn't
proud of uh, the way we practiced, us walkin'
around and stuff, and uh, and it just uh, I guess
he just thought, you know, that we just had a
bad practice and everybody, some people were
already uh, AD Webb and uh, Coach Bob uh,
assistant AD, I think that's what he is...were out
there and uh, escortin' Max and pourin' water
on him, so he thought...I guess he believed that
Max was gonna be okay and, and uh, he was
just dismissin' us to the locker-room and the
ambulance came and got Max and we all went
in and uh, that's about the end of practice.

Hightower Okay. Now I'm gonna ask you a few other

questions, uh, how many water breaks were
given? Were they given as a individual or as a
team?

Keown Uhm, we have both. Uhm, we're scheduled,

we have a schedule before practice that we
read and we look over, and when you're
scheduled, we're scheduled one after every uh,
drill period. But like when we go to the
offense and...like I told you individuals, some
of our assignment coaches, like our offense
line, uh, he'll send us to get water during the
individuals, which is a non-scheduled water
break, so uh, during the day uh, we had three
and then uh, our, my...I know...I don't, I'm
not...I can't say for anybody else, just from
my...from my...

Hightower ...Right. No. that's why I want you to say for

Page 5 of 13
Statement: David Keown / Case #08197(f)
September 9, 2008

your, you're in the offensive line?...

Keown ...Yeah, in the offensive line we got at least two

unscheduled water breaks, so about five water
breaks...

Hightower Five water breaks...'cause you're offensive line.

On offensive team.

Keown Yeah.

Hightower Okay. How many water breaks did you take?

Keown I took five.

Hightower You took five.

Keown Yeah.

Hightower After the last water break, what did the practice
consist of?

Keown Uhm, after the last water break, we ran. Uh,

we ran gassers, so we were, that's what
happened, as we were comin' back from a
water break and we go in to what we call team,
and that's offense versus defense...and we were
walkin' around. And uh, we're not supposed to
be walkin' around, so he just told us to get on
line and we'll run if we're gonna walk. So we
started runnin' and uh, then the events that
happened here, uh...

Hightower So then you said you uh, the reason that y'all
were runnin' sprints 'cause y'all were walkin'
around?

Keown Yeah, walkin' around.

Page 6 of 13
Statement: David Keown / Case #08197(f)
September 9, 2008

Hightower How many sprints did you or your group do?

Keown I'm not, I, I...I didn't count. Uhm, but it was

more than usual but uh, because we didn't go in
to team and team's usually the last thing of the
day. So we usually go to the team and then do
conditioning, but we uh, ran for team and ran
for conditioning, so uh, I don't know. Uh, I'm
not, I can't, I can't really exactly give a number.

Hightower Okay.

Keown It was more than usual.

Hightower Okay. Uh, and you said you were in the

offensive group.

Keown Yes, sir.

Hightower When you were runnin' those sprints, uh, were

you runnin' in groups like that, offensive
groups?

Keown Uhm, well, we do uh, skill guys, like the

smaller guys, and then we'll do linemen.

Hightower Okay. How many uh, of the sprints did you do

before you took off your gear?

Keown Actually, we took off our gear kinda early, I

was surprised. Uh, pro'bly ten. Pro'bly ten.

Hightower And after you took off your gear how many did
you do?

Keown I, I...I'm not really sure because uh, when uh,

Antonio and uh, Max started uh, they, he kinda
Page 7 of 13
Statement: David Keown / Case #08197(f)
September 9, 2008

got more distracted with them and then uh,

kinda stopped and then the whole team was
kinda awed and wonderin' what was wrong.
So it was kinda just...I'm, I'm not really for
sure again.

Hightower Okay. And how long do you think y'all were

running those sprints?

Keown maybe uh, I'm not sure. Uh, our, usually our
team lasts uh, anywhere from 20, 30 minutes,
uh, but...but uh, when we were runnin' our
sprints, uh, he don't blow the whistle one after
another, one after another, we, we, sometimes
he stalls to let us catch our breath and get back,
so I, I'd say the last 30 minutes of practice we
ran, so...

Hightower So 30 minutes?

Keown Around there, yeah. 30 minutes.

Hightower Okay. Did you or any of your teammates ask

for water when you were running the sprints?

Keown No, sir.

Hightower Did anybody try to get some water?

Keown No, sir. Not while running sprints. Uh, to

clarify what you're talkin' about, 'cause we
know what you're talkin' about uh, we, when
we, when we dismissed and we were gettin' our
water, uh, after that he told us just meet under
the tree, uh, we met under the tree and uh,
some of the guys disobeyed him and he was
like, uh, they ran to the water and he said,
come over here, he didn't say they couldn't get
Page 8 of 13
Statement: David Keown / Case #08197(f)
September 9, 2008

water, he just was like, come over here and be

with the team and then you can go do that.

Hightower Uh...

Keown But there was nothin', I've never heard

anything like that.

Hightower Okay. did you or any of your teammates

become ill while running those sprints?

Keown Not, not besides the two that...

Hightower Okay. So did...the two you're saying, uh,

Calloway, did he get sick while you were
runnin' the sprints?

Keown No, he uh, coach told him to quit 'cause he was

runnin' hard and doing play, he, he was already
tellin' him to go off. He told him and a fellow
teammate, Dave West, to uh, to go sit under the
shade tree, and then when they went to stop,
Antonio was tryin' to catch his breath, when he
was walkin' over to the shade tree, and uh,
couldn't catch his breath. He didn't collapse or
nothin' like Max did.

Hightower Okay.

Keown So Dave West was hel...helpin' him walk over

to the tree and uh, he was just havin' trouble,
problem breathin', but while, while he was
runnin' sprints, he was fine.

Hightower So Calloway? Okay. So nobody was ill,

became ill while they were runnin' sprints?

Keown Um-umm.
Page 9 of 13
Statement: David Keown / Case #08197(f)
September 9, 2008

Hightower Okay. And you said Max, did he become ill

when...

Keown No, uh, actually uh, we had a teammate that

uh, quit before max. And when Max, when
Max dropped, uh, we had done stopped
because another teammate was walkin' and uh,
Coach was askin' him why he was walkin' and
he was just like, I quit or whatever, or
somethin' like that, and walked off. and...

Hightower Do you know who it was?

Keown Uh, the player that quit?

Hightower Yes.

Keown I'm not for sure. Uh...

Hightower Do you know what race he was?

Keown White.

Hightower Okay.

Keown And uh, he was uh, he was just like I just, I

quit, or somethin' like that, uh...I guess he
didn't wanna run or practice any more play and
uh, and then we all started walkin' off to go
meet under the shade tree and Max fell right at
the end of the gassers, man, uh...

Hightower Was he near you when he fell?

Keown He was pretty close. He was close.

Hightower Okay. When do you first know that, notice

Page 10 of 13
Statement: David Keown / Case #08197(f)
September 9, 2008

him fallin', or did you notice him fallin'?

Keown I mean he was walkin' just like we were and

just fell.

Hightower Was he in front of you, beside by you...

Keown In front.

Hightower He was in front of you.

Keown 'Cause we run our gassers, they're more like

this. So I was like this walkin' this way and
Max was kinda more to the side, more in front
of me...

Hightower And you, did you see him drop?

Keown Yes, sir.

Hightower And what happened when he dropped? Did he

get back up or did somebody go help him?

Keown Uh, he just had coaches run to him and try to

help him and uh, uh...then the AD and them
rushed to come pick him up with the gator, uh,
and put him on the back of it, then they took
him over to where our water was and uh, threw
water all over him and was rubbin' his
chest...tryin' to get him to respond, and, and uh,
then the ambulance came and uh, and I guess
that was that.

Hightower Okay. During any practice this year, have you

personally seen or heard any teammate being
injured?

Keown Uh, being injured or, like ankle problems or

Page 11 of 13
Statement: David Keown / Case #08197(f)
September 9, 2008

somethin' like...

Hightower Any injury that you know of?

Keown Uh, not, not uh, not bad injuries, maybe like a
sprained ankle or somethin' like that...yes.

Hightower Okay. Ankles...what about anybody quitting

the team this year?

Keown Uh...

Hightower you know anyone that has quit the team?

Keown No. Uh, we had the per...the person I believe

that quit uhm, I think he came back. Uh,
Coach let him (inaudible).

Hightower You say the one that quit the day of the uh,
incident?

Keown Yeah. Yeah, I think he came back.

Hightower He came back.

Keown Yeah. It was just a bad day, I guess, for him.

Hightower Okay. Has anyone influenced you in any way

to withhold information or change any of the
facts that actually occurred during the practice
on Wednesday, August the 20th, 2008?

Keown No, sir. No, sir.

Hightower Okay. Is this statement the truth that you have

given me?

Keown Yes, sir.

Page 12 of 13
Statement: David Keown / Case #08197(f)
September 9, 2008

Hightower Do you have anything else to add to the

statement that I haven't asked you or any more
information?

Keown No, just, uh, you know, I guess it just uh, kinda
hurt me and everything, you know, we lost a
teammate and uh, Coach really did care and he
was really there for him, you know? He
wasn't, he's not the kind of guy that's like a
sergeant, gonna run you till you fall or drop.
he really loves children and he really loves
what he does and us seniors and uh, guys that's
been around him for a while know. A lot of
people maybe from the outside, lookin' in,
really don't understand, but he's hurt more than
anybody right now, 'cause he feels like he lost
a kid and it's, it's hurtin' him, so I mean...but
this wasn't, this wasn't nobody's fault. Nobody
knew Max was hurt, nobody uh, I mean we had
our water breaks. We had uh, everything that
we were supposed to have and uh, it just, it just
really is just somethin' that just hurts us right
now, we're just kinda tryin' to make it through.
And it's nothin' that, that anybody did, but uh,
we, I just feel, I just really want him, our
team's just really goin' through a tough time,
and we just know that coach is, he would
always be there. He'd never try to, to
(inaudible) or physically try to hurts a kid.

Hightower Okay. Alright. with that said uh, do you have

any other information that you wanna offer?

Keown No, sir.

Hightower Okay. I'm gonna end this statement. The time

is approximately 1200 hours.
Page 13 of 13
Statement: David Keown / Case #08197(f)
September 9, 2008

END OF STATEMENT

File #08197fhightower-ks