KOMO
Monday December 10, 2018
by Patrick Quinn
SEATAC, Wash. – On Saturday afternoon, Amina Ahmed was killed in a head-on car crash in SeaTac.
“I am heartbroken by the loss,” said SeaTac Mayor Erin Sitterley in a statement. “She was a welcome addition to the council and brought a fresh voice and unique perspective to the city. She will be missed at City Hall and her loss will impact the entire community.”
Mergitu Argo and Nafiso Samatar were planning Ahmed’s meet-and-greet when they got the news of her death.
“She hung up the phone start going around, I’m running after the room, we’re both crying,” said Argo, who said Ahmed was her former boss. “I don’t know what to tell you. This person, she meant a lot to me.”
Ahmed lived in south Seattle the past 20 years. She spoke 6 languages and was an advocate for immigrant and refugee rights.
In October, Ahmed was appointed to the SeaTac City Council.
“People always come to her and ask why you always want to organize all this. She said, we all have equal rights. We should stand together,” said Samatar when asked about Ahmed’s impact to the south Seattle community.
According to the King County Sheriff’s Office, Ahmed crossed the center line and crashed into another car on South 188th Street and 16th Avenue South in the City of SeaTac.
Ahmed died from her injuries. The driver of the other car suffered minor injuries, according to Sheriff's Office public information officer Ryan Abbott.
Ahmed was 52.