D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s office and D.C. city police confirmed Saturday that a D.C. city official was killed Friday evening in an electric scooter collision.
Police identified the man as 50-year-old as Talib Shakir, who served as the director of the mayor’s office of returning citizen affairs, which coordinates services for formerly incarcerated people.
Shortly after 6:45 p.m. on Friday, police responded to the intersection of 8th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue SE for a crash involving two electric scooters. The e-scooter operators — Shakir and an adult woman — collided in the intersection, police said in a Saturday statement.
Shakir was unconscious and not breathing at the scene, police said. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
In a Saturday afternoon statement, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said Shakir was committed to creating opportunity for D.C. residents.
“Talib made the most of his second chance and dedicated himself to helping others do the same,” she said.
Shakir’s mother, Gloria Jordan, told The Washington Post that her son was “honored” to work for city government after being released from prison.
“He was very diligent, very determined to make something out of his life, and to serve the people,” said Jordan, who lives in Georgia and was reached by phone.
After Shakir was released from prison, Jordan said the first thing he did was travel to visit his siblings, nieces and nephews. She said he wanted to make up for lost time by reconnecting with them.
“He really craved a relationship with his siblings because he was gone for so long,” said Jordan, 70. “He was trying to fill that gap.”
Bowser said Shakir loved to mentor young people and “prove to them that their city believes in them.”
Bowser said Talib’s mission was to help returning citizens feel valued and included in D.C.’s future. “We are so grateful for the energy and love he poured into doing just that,” the mayor said.
Lindsay O. Appiah, the city’s deputy mayor for public safety, said in a social media post that Shakir was a “tremendous public servant” who “overcame so much.”
The woman who was on the other e-scooter, whom police did not identify, was also transported to a local hospital after the crash and has since been released, police said. The incident remains under investigation, police said.
So far this year, there have been 33 traffic fatalities in the District, according to city data, which has not yet been updated to include Shakir’s death.
Road deaths have been up in Washington this year. At this time last year, there had been 20 traffic fatalities in the city, data shows.
Shakir taught himself to speak Arabic and Spanish, his mother said, and in his free time, he liked to go skiing and camping.
“He liked adventure,” Jordan said. “He really lived his life to the fullest.”
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