Docs: Suspect in Uber driver's murder used his stolen car to visit family, get her hair done
SEATTLE - Seattle police arrested an 18-year-old woman accused in the murder of an Uber driver in the SODO neighborhood. Sources told FOX 13's David Rose that she confessed to the crime.
A man who was found shot to death in Seattle's SODO neighborhood has been identified as 52-year-old Amare Geda, an Uber driver and father. Police say he was the victim of a carjacking.
According to a GoFundMe set up by his family, he was working when he was shot.
Officers were called to the intersection of 1st Ave. S and S. Walker St. around 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 8 for reports of a man down in the street.
When officers arrived, they saw he had at least one gunshot wound. Medics tried to save his life, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to court documents, Geda was stopped along the curb when he was allegedly shot by 18-year-old Ne'lana Allen-Bailey. She then allegedly stole his car and drove off.
She was arrested a few days later in Geda's stolen Prius.
When Allen-Bailey was arrested and questioned, she told police a few different stories about what happened, according to court documents.
She initially told detectives that she got the Prius through a sale on Offer Up. Then, she said that she was assaulted by a man on the street and knocked on Geda's car window to ask him to take her to the hospital. In this version, she claimed to have been checking on Geda, who she said was slumped over the wheel, according to court documents.
Allen-Bailey said Geda got out of the car and grabbed her, so she shot him.
She then later told police that Geda "did not strike, kick or otherwise assault her. She said that if she did not shoot Mr. Geda, she probably would have been able to get away from him," court documents said. Geda fell to the ground and Allen-Bailey took off.
Video from a nearby Key Bank showed that the altercation lasted about 10 seconds.
Geda's car
According to court documents, she did not go to a hospital for any believed injuries and instead drove his Prius around for two and a half days. Documents said she visited family in Skyway, smoked pot in Rainier Beach, put gas in the tank in Renton and drove to Kent to get her hair done.
When she was interviewed by detectives, she said she was planning to give police an anonymous tip about the car but ‘did not get to that.’
The gun allegedly used in the shooting was found under the driver's seat of the Prius and was "heavily soiled with what appeared to be blood," documents said.
"It's so sad really-- someone coming out from his home to support his family, and then he's dead," said Abdi Ali, a fellow rideshare driver.
"[He] was more than a father he was his family's rock. He worked tirelessly day and night to care for his wife and two children. His love and dedication were unwavering," the family wrote.
In a Facebook statement, the Seattle Rideshare Drivers Association wrote:
Geda left behind two children, according to the GoFundMe. Family says funds raised will be used to transport Geda to Etheopia, where he's from, and lay him to rest.
This is the second time in less than a year that a rideshare driver was killed in Seattle while working.
In September, 48-year-old Mohamed Kediye, a father of six, was shot and killed while working his last route for Lyft near the Amazon Spheres.
The Seattle Rideshare Driver Association Executive Director Ahmed Mumin said they met Wednesday to discuss safety concerns.
"We're getting back to the days of taxi violence and this is very bad," Mumin said. "It's not very surprising to us because there has been previously four other carjacks that have taken place where a driver were carjacked."
He says losing esteemed colleagues is forcing some to take matters into their own hands as some are now considering arming themselves.
"Let them do that, let them defend themselves in any way possible," Mumin said.
Allen-Bailey did not appear in court for her scheduled first appearance.
She has been booked for first-degree murder.
Prosecutors may also charge her for second-degree assault. She allegedly admitted to detectives that she pulled a gun on a WSDOT worker who confronted her and two others about tagging graffiti in a transpiration tunnel. The WSDOT employee was assaulted by the two others present, and either they or Allen-Bailey took away his phone and badge from his pocket.