John Jefferson
Left: An alleged photo of Naim Hicks “just prior” to him opening fire on Steven Bird, according to prosecutors (King County Prosecuting Attorney Office). Center: Steven Bird (KING/YouTube). Right: Naim Hicks (King County PAO/Department of Licensing).
A “legally blind” man from Washington state who advocates for pedestrian safety was allegedly murdered in a road rage attack in which an 18-year-old get out of a vehicle and reportedly punch the victim to the ground — fatally injuring him — after nearly plowing the 63-year-old and his friends over as they stepped into a crosswalk.
Steven Bird, of Tacoma, was punched so hard by the accused teenage attacker, Naim Hicks, that a witness in a building “six stories up” from the alleged assault heard his head hit the ground, according to charging documents filed by the King County Prosecuting Attorney Office and obtained by Law&Crime Thursday.
“Witnesses report that Steven made no offensive type gestures, nor had he done anything to aggress on the passenger who assaulted him,” prosecutors allege. “One witness observed the assault from six stories up and reported hearing the impact of Steven striking the pavement even from this distance and commented how he appeared vulnerable.”
According to prosecutors, Bird had “macular degeneration and stargardt’s disease,” making him “legally blind” at the time of his death. He and two of his longtime friends, Lolita O’Donnell and Ken O’Donnell, were walking home from the Logan Brewing Company in Burien with him when they encountered Hicks on Dec. 2, 2024, prosecutors say.
Hicks, who was allegedly driving an SUV, nearly struck Bird and the group as they stepped out into a crosswalk, according to prosecutors.
“They intended to utilize the crosswalk to walk towards Town Square Park,” the charging documents state. “As they were stepping into the crosswalk, Ken and Lolita explained that a white large SUV never slowed down upon reaching the stop sign but drove past the stop sign almost striking them.”
Prosecutors say witnesses told investigators that Hicks had no lights on. “As the vehicle passed them, Ken took his keys and threw them at the vehicle striking either the back or side of the vehicle,” the charging documents explain. “The vehicle came to a stop in the middle of the westbound lanes … Ken and Lolita both confirmed the passenger [Hicks] jumped out first and aggressed quickly towards them.”
A brief shouting match ensued, according to prosecutors, with Hicks striking both Bird and Ken O’Donnell in the face during it before fleeing.
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“Witnesses describe Steven as not being able to brace himself and falling directly back and striking his head,” the charging documents allege.
Bird was hospitalized after the attack and died five days later. Hicks was arrested last week and charged with second-degree murder. He remained behind bars Thursday with his bail set at $1 million.
“Steven was the kind of person that always wanted to help, to help make things better, to help people,” Laura Svancarek, Interim Executive Director at Downtown on the Go, told local CBS affiliate KIRO of Bird, who has been a safety and pedestrian advocate for the group since 2016.
“He was just a perfect human being,” said friend Andrea Williams, who reportedly noted how Bird used to say he thought he was going to get hit by a car one day. “Just fabulous.”
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