A Seattle rideshare driver was remembered this week as a devoted father and churchgoer after he was fatally shot at random, allegedly by a woman who then stole his vehicle to drive to a hair appointment and to smoke marijuana.
Authorities say that around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, 18-year-old Neiana Allen-Bailey encountered Uber driver Amare Geda and shot him in downtown Seattle, according to the Seattle Police Department.
Allen-Bailey is accused of stealing Geda’s light blue Toyota Prius while the husband and father of two died on the street, KIRO-TV reports.
Geda allegedly drove the vehicle around the Seattle area for two days, at times using it to visit family, stopping by a beach to smoke marijuana and attending a hair appointment, according to KOMO-TV.
Investigators later identified Allen-Bailey as a suspect and had her under surveillance; she was arrested while walking to the vehicle at a street fair, where she had allegedly parked in a no-parking zone.
In an interview with police, the teen alleged that she saw a man who appeared to be sleeping in the Prius and knocked on the window to make sure he was OK. Even though she had no visible injuries, Allen-Bailey said she asked Geda to drive her to a hospital, according to court records obtained by KING-TV.
Allen-Bailey then alleged that Geda got out of his car and put his hands on her shoulders and upper arms. She said that she had raised her shirt to show a gun, but he allegedly continued to hold onto her. She then shot Geda.
It was not immediately clear whether investigators have been able to substantiate Allen-Bailey’s account of the interaction.
Allen-Bailey is being held in the King County Correctional Facility on $2 million bail. She has not been charged formally but is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, community members held a vigil for Geda this week.
“We are left not only with the deep sorrow of losing Amare, but we live with the trauma of losing him to such a violent and vicious murder. The trauma, pain, anger and powerlessness we feel today will never dissipate,” Geda family spokesperson Daniel Negash Ajema said, according to KING-TV.
Said another community member: “He was an amazing person, an angel on Earth and now we all have him as an angel.”
Geda had worked two jobs for the last 14 years to help support his family, according to the Seattle Rideshare Drivers Association. “At night, he drove, while during the day, he worked at the airport,” the association wrote in a Facebook post.
Geda’s murder is the second killing of a rideshare driver in Seattle within the last six months, according to the group.
“Seattle’s Uber and Lyft drivers are very concerned about their safety,” the association added. “How long will it take for the community and our local lawmakers to realize that the safety of drivers is the safety of riders?”
Geda’s family intends to bury him in Ethiopia and has launched a GoFundMe account to help pay for those expenses and to support the family.
“Amare was more than a father; he was his family’s rock,” the GoFundMe page reads. “He worked tirelessly day and night to care for his wife and two children. His love and dedication were unwavering. In an unthinkable act of violence, Amare fell victim to a senseless crime. His family is shattered, their hearts broken. He was just trying to provide for them.”
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Featured Image: Amare Geda/GoFundMe
