Edmonds City Councilmember Jenna Nand said she had “the incredible honor” to attend a celebration of life event in Tukwila Thursday for Abdikadir Gedi Shariif, the ride-share driver who was shot and killed in Edmonds in January.
Nand said she joined the Shariif family, including the victim’s mother and father; Ahmed Mumin, executive director of the Seattle Rideshare Drivers Association; SeaTac Mayor Mohamed Egal; Federal Way City Councilmember Lydia Assefa-Dawson and many others.
Those attending celebrated the life of the slain driver and discussed the need for safety reforms for ride-share, taxi and delivery drivers in Washington state.
“The most impactful moment for me was when Mr. Shariif, Abdikadir‘s father, spoke about their family history and his son’s life,” Nand said. “With Ahmed Mumin translating, Mr. Sharif told us that the night that he and his wife were fleeing Somalia, where a civil war had broken out, was the night that Abdikadir was born. He said that in the refugee camp in Kenya, where Abdikadir grew up, his son was known for sharing everything he had, even his last bottle of water. 
After the family immigrated to the United States, and Abdikadir started working as a ride-share driver, “Mr. Shariif said that his son would take extra food from home to share with homeless people whom he encountered on his rides. He even took seed for the birds,” Nand said.
“Mr. Shariif made a powerful point, which was shared by other people speaking last night, that they fled Somalia because of guns. They came to the United States to be safe from the gun violence in Somalia, only to lose their son’s life to gun violence in the United States,” Nand said. 
Nand noted that the local ride-share driver community has lost five drivers in the last five years due to gun violence on the job.
Alex Matthew Waggoner was formally charged Feb. 5 with fatally shooting Abdikadir Gedi Shariif near the intersection of 236th Street Southwest and Edmonds Way. According to the charging documents, Waggoner was crossing Edmonds Way on Jan. 3 when Shariif, who was driving his vehicle, did not see the defendant and nearly collided with him. When Shariif rolled down the window and began to apologize, the defendant drew a firearm and shot into the vehicle approximately 11 times, killing the victim.
Waggoner entered a not-guilty plea, and a trial date has been set for March 29.
Thank you for sharing this story. My Edmonds News.
This is such a heartbreaking story. A senseless gun tragedy.
I completely agree, Sue.
Stories like this are more than sad, they are maddening! Another wonderful person has died because of easy access to guns and too many people thoughtlessly using them! I feel no place is safe anymore! My heart aches every time…SO sorry for your loss.
Thank you for your kind words for the Shariif family, Gail. It is such a terrible loss.
Now this drunk who fired the shots and killed him will be incarcerated for many years costing the taxpayers a lot of money. What a waste of resources!
Senseless! Stop giving firearms to just anyone. Stop leaving your home with guns. Just stop!
Thank you Jenna for being Edmonds’ face through this tragedy. We know these random gun violence incidents happen everywhere. But you immediately stepped up in support of the Shariiff family. When you didn’t have to.
I am sorely tempted to speak of the irony of fleeing gun violence to meet gun violence in your new land.
But Gail has thoughtfully already done that for us.
For now, may Abdikadir Gedi Shariiff rest in peace, knowing that he was loved.
Thank you, Bill. I want to do what I can, in my personal capacity, to support the Shariif family and Abdikadir’s union and community in this time of grief.