Police charge 18-year-old suspect with murder in SoDo rideshare shooting

The suspect in the death of a rideshare driver in SoDo neighborhood of Seattle has been charged with first-degree murder in court Tuesday, August 16, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Seattle police arrested an 18-year-old woman for her alleged involvement in a deadly carjacking of a rideshare driver in the SoDo District Tuesday, Aug. 9.

The arrest was made around 4 p.m. on Thursday, August 11, near John Street and 8th Avenue North. Police have previously said they believe the shooting was likely a random carjacking, and that the suspect was not a rideshare customer.

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Police said that around 3:30 a.m., a suspect allegedly walked up to the shooting victim, who was stopped in his car along the curb of 1st Avenue S. The victim has been identified as Amare W. Geda, who was working as a rideshare driver.

The suspect carjacked and shot the victim and fled the scene in the stolen car. The vehicle is a light blue 2014 Toyota Prius with Washington license plate BEP3940, and it has one mismatched rim.

Police said someone passing by called 911 after seeing the man down on the ground. When officers got there, they found the man with a gunshot wound. He was declared dead at the scene. The victim was identified as 52-year-old SeaTac resident Amare Geda, a husband and dad to two children. The family plans to bury Geda in Ethiopia and has started a GoFundMe to help with transportation costs, as well as to help care for his wife and children. They will also be holding a candlelight vigil Friday at 7 p.m.

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This is the second homicide within the same three blocks in SODO in just 12 hours, and Seattle police said it’s the city’s 44th homicide of the year.

The suspect is being held in jail with a $2 million bail until her trail.