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Man killed, cousin injured by suspected drunk driver

By Natasha Chen
By Natasha Chen

TUKWILA, Wash. — Police said a driver suspected of hitting and killing a pedestrian Monday night may have been drunk and on antidepressants.

A King County judge set a $50,000 bail for Katherine Ferguson on Tuesday.

Key developments:

  • Two men hit by SUV
  • One man has died
  • Cousin injured, expected to be OK
  • Driver arrested, suspected drunk & on antidepressants

Police said that at the scene of the accident, Ferguson’s breath smelled of intoxicants and her eyes were bloodshot and watery.

Police also stated in court documents that Ferguson took a preliminary breath test two hours after the incident, when she blew a 0.054, which is under the legal limit.

She told police she did not see the two victims, who witnesses said were standing in the middle of the poorly lighted road.

Family members said the man who died was 65-year-old Abdule Mohamed.

Mohamed’s cousin, also hit by the suspected drunken driver, was released from Harborview Medical Center Monday night.

Witnesses said both men are well-known members of the area’s Somali community.

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KIRO 7 was there as the suspected drunken driver was handcuffed and taken away in a squad car.

Witnesses said the suspect drove her SUV around a car that was stopped in the road to make a right turn.

“One of them got dropped there. The other one, she dragged him on the hood all the way there. Everybody was saying 'stop.' If she would have stopped right there, it would have been better,” said Ahmed Yusuf, who rushed to help.

Mohamed’s family gathered outside the hospital last night, stating their shock.

“I feel so bad when they told me she was drunk,” said Amino Ali, the victim’s daughter.

Mohamed’s nephew, Aiderus Mohamud, warned others not to drink and drive.

“It's going to be something they regret the rest of their life,” he said.

There are no crosswalks where Abdule Mohamed and his cousin were standing.

There are no traditional sidewalks in the area either, but rather striped lanes in the road for pedestrians.

Susan Santiago, the driver’s sister, said Ferguson “told me a lot of times, 'I can't see down there, Susan. It's really hard.'”

Santiago said her sister drove through that area weekly and was likely getting dinner at Taco Time.

She said they saw each other Monday night, and Ferguson did not seem to be inebriated.

She’s concerned that Ferguson may have been affected by her new medication, prescribed just last week.

“I said ‘Kathy, why are you on these pills?’ She told me they made her feel not very good,” Santiago said.

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