A 63-year-old man from Tacoma, Washington, who was legally blind due to macular degeneration and stargardt’s disease, was allegedly killed in a road rage incident. The victim, Steven Bird, was a pedestrian safety advocate. The incident occurred when Bird and two of his friends were nearly hit by an SUV while crossing a street. The driver of the vehicle, 18-year-old Naim Hicks, is accused of exiting his vehicle and assaulting Bird, causing fatal injuries.
According to the King County Prosecuting Attorney Office, Bird and his friends, Lolita and Ken O’Donnell, were returning home from the Logan Brewing Company in Burien on December 2, 2024, when they encountered Hicks. The trio was crossing the street when Hicks, who was driving an SUV, almost hit them. Witnesses stated that Hicks’ vehicle did not slow down or stop at the stop sign.
The charging documents reveal that Ken O’Donnell threw his keys at the SUV as it passed them, hitting either the back or side of the vehicle. This action prompted Hicks to stop his vehicle and confront the group. A verbal altercation ensued, during which Hicks allegedly struck both Bird and Ken O’Donnell in the face before fleeing the scene.
Bird was unable to brace himself during the assault and fell, hitting his head on the pavement. A witness from a nearby building, six stories above the scene, reported hearing the impact of Bird’s head striking the ground. Bird was taken to the hospital following the incident and succumbed to his injuries five days later.
Hicks was arrested last week and has been charged with second-degree murder. He is currently in custody with bail set at $1 million.
Bird was remembered by his community as a person who always wanted to help others. Laura Svancarek, Interim Executive Director at Downtown on the Go, where Bird had been a safety and pedestrian advocate since 2016, described him as someone who always wanted to make things better. Andrea Williams, a friend of Bird, remembered him as a “perfect human being” and noted that Bird had often expressed fears of being hit by a car.