Family and friends of a well loved rideshare driver have called for justice following his death in a shooting in downtown Seattle earlier this week.
Mohamed Kediye, 48, was killed while driving in the Denny Triangle neighbourhood late on Sunday night, not far from Amazon’s headquarters in the city, Seattle police said.
He was working at the time and had at least one passenger in his vehicle when he was fatally shot in the head.
As Fox13 News reported on Wednesday, no arrests have been made by police and no suspect has been identified – leading to calls from colleagues, friends and family for justice.
“The whole community and all the rideshare drivers. Everybody was in shock and felt so sad about this tragedy that took the life of Mr Kediye,” said a close friend Ahmad Geelle to Fox13. “He left behind a big family. We will not forget Mohamed and we will keep pushing until we get justice for Mohamed.”
Peter Kuel, a representative of a Seattle drivers union and friend of Mr Kediye, meanwhile said the death of Kedoye showed that drivers in Seattle needed more protection.
“It is shocking to me and it’s shocking everybody that something like this can happen,” he told KIRO7 News. “Driver deserve more protection from the company. They have to work very hard, that we can lose people like that when they put the drivers on the road”.
Officers who responded to the scene at 7th Avenue and Lenora Street found “an adult male victim with a gunshot wound” who died despite life saving measures, police said on Sunday night.
The victim was later identified by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office as Kediye, who friends and family said had been driving customers around Seattle for 10 years and worked for Lyft, the ridesharing app.
“He worked so hard in providing for his family and now that he’s gone, the family will be without their support system,” a GoFundMe set up for Keidye’s family said.
“He was completing his last ride for the night so that he may go home to his children,” the fundraiser added. “When it comes to horrifying life altering situations likes this you can’t help but wonder and question as to why someone would be so evil to commit such a heinous crime to an innocent human being. We all want to know the reason, we all want to question the people or person behind this. We all want answers that we may never receive”
While a Seattle police investigation into the death is ongoing, the Seattle Rideshare Drivers Association reportedly planned on hosting a demonstration to show solidarity with Kediye and to call for increased safety measures, which was due to take place on Thursday at the Masjid al-Taqwa Islamic school, according to Fox13.
Kediye’s death comes amid growing concern about Seattle’s homicide rate this year, with four homicides being recorded in the city in five days at the end of August, the Seattle Times reported.
Lyft said in a statement to The Independent: “The events described are heartbreaking, and our thoughts are with the driver’s loved ones and everyone who has been impacted by this tragedy. We are working to make contact with the driver’s family as soon as possible, have been in touch with the rider to offer our support, and have reached out to law enforcement to offer our assistance with their investigation.”
