SEATTLE — Dozens of family, friends and community members gathered less than a block from where Amare Geda was killed to pay their respects and honor a life taken too soon.
Geda was shot and killed in Seattle's SODO district on Aug. 11.
He is remembered as a beloved and caring family man and pillar in his church community who leaves behind a wife and two children.
“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,” said Daniel Negash Ajema, a representative for the Geda family.
A candlelight vigil Friday night gave those who knew and loved Geda a moment to remember him.
“He was an amazing person, an angel on Earth and now we all have him as an angel,” one community member said.
Geda’s wife addressed the community wanting them to know that even though there’s been an arrest the fight isn’t over and is thankful for community support and asking people to keep them in their prayers.
The vigil brought city leaders including Seattle City Councilmember Sara Nelson, King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, and Tanya Woo, who is currently running for a position on the Seattle City Council.
Friends of Geda and community members called for an end to gun violence and rideshare driver safety, so another family won’t have to go through this.
“There are about 65,000 Amare’s working in Seattle, we don’t know who the next person will be unless we do something about it,” said Bizuayeahu Haile, a friend of Geda.
An 18-year-old woman suspected of fatally shooting 52-year-old Amare Geda is being held on $2 million bail after a judge found probable cause for first-degree murder on Aug. 11.
The suspect, who has not been formally charged, will next appear in court on Aug. 15.
Around 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 8, a 911 caller reported a person down near the intersection of South Walker Street and First Avenue South and not moving, according to probable cause documents. Medics arrived and declared Amare Geda dead at the scene.
A witness to portions of the incident told police officers that he was in front of his work when he heard the sound of a single gunshot to the north, the documents say. He saw a white sedan stopped on First Avenue and told police he saw a man near the vehicle. The sedan left, leaving the man down in the middle of the road.
Detectives obtained an image of the sedan from a nearby bank and linked the victim to the vehicle through the Washington State Department of Licensing database.
Detectives went to the victim's home in SeaTac where Geda's wife said he worked as an Uber and Lyft driver in his Toyota Prius. She said he was working overnight and was expected to get home around 4 a.m.
Detectives were able to track the suspect backward from the scene where Geda was shot and killed. Surveillance video eventually showed the suspect in "great detail," according to probable cause documents.
On Aug. 10, officers were sent to Ninth Avenue North and John Street for a parking complaint, for a vehicle parked in a no-parking zone in a block closed for a street fair. Plainclothes detectives surveilled the vehicle and eventually took the woman into custody.
Suspect's interview
While being interviewed, the suspect said she purchased the vehicle on Offer Up but changed her story to say she was walking through downtown and was harassed and assaulted. She told detectives she was punched and then continued to walk into SODO where she eventually encountered Geda.
The suspect said she found Geda with his head tipped over as if he was sleeping. She knocked on his window and asked if he was OK. She said she then asked if he could take her to the hospital - during her interview she had no visible injuries, according to probable cause documents.
The suspect said Geda got out of his car and placed his hand on her shoulders and upper arms. She said she raised her shirt to display her gun and he continued to grab her shoulders. She said she then pulled the gun out and dropped it. She picked it back up and shot Geda, she said.
Geda did not say anything to her and did not assault her, the suspect told detectives.
"She said if she did not shoot [Geda], she probably would have been able to get away from him," probable cause documents state.
The suspect said the interaction lasted about two minutes.
Surveillance video obtained from a nearby bank shows Geda was outside his vehicle about seven seconds before dropping to the ground.