Connecticut Lawmaker Quentin Williams Killed in Crash After Inaugural Ball - The New York Times

New York|Connecticut Lawmaker Killed successful Head-on Collision After Inaugural Ball

A Connecticut authorities typical connected his mode location from an inaugural shot to footwear disconnected the caller word was killed erstwhile a wrong-way operator deed him head-on aboriginal Thursday, authorities constabulary said.

Officials from crossed the authorities mourned the nonaccomplishment of State Representative Quentin Williams of Middletown, a metropolis astir a 20-minute thrust southbound of the capital, Hartford. Gov. Ned Lamont ordered the authorities emblem to beryllium lowered to half-staff successful grant of Mr. Williams, calling his nonaccomplishment “devastating.”

The clang occurred connected Route 9 successful Cromwell, conscionable northbound of Middletown, astatine astir 12:45 a.m. The Connecticut State Police said that Mr. Williams was traveling southbound erstwhile helium was deed by a conveyance traveling northbound successful the southbound lane. The operator of that vehicle, 27-year-old Kimede Katie Mustafaj of Manchester, Conn., was besides killed.

The car driven by Mr. Williams, 39, was “fully engulfed successful flames” aft the crash, according to the police.

State lawmakers closed the Capitol Complex and canceled meetings for Thursday and Friday. State Senator Matt Lesser noted that Mr. Williams, who was a Democrat, had conscionable been appointed seat of the Labor and Public Employees Committee. He was readying to pb its archetypal gathering of the twelvemonth connected Thursday.

The politician of Hartford, Luke Bronin, posted a photograph of himself adjacent to Mr. Williams astatine the black-tie enactment connected Wednesday night, describing him arsenic afloat of vigor and passionateness for his work. The lawsuit was held astatine the Bushnell, a performing arts venue successful Hartford. The Bacon Brothers — a duo consisting of the histrion Kevin Bacon and his member Michael — were among the performers.

“We are each devastated and heartbroken by the quality this morning,” Mr. Bronin said astatine different lawsuit connected Thursday morning.

The state’s lawyer general, William Tong, said successful a connection that helium met “Q,” arsenic Mr. Williams was known, erstwhile Mr. Williams was an advocator for a section schoolhouse successful Stamford.

“I tin lone deliberation of 1 connection to picture him — hopeful,” Mr. Tong said. “Q was ever brimming with optimism and possibility. He had a tone that was relentlessly affirmative and aspirational. We request his airy much than ever, and that’s wherefore it is truthful hard to suffer him.”

Mr. Williams is survived by his wife, Carrissa Williams, said Mr. Lesser, who was acting arsenic a spokesperson for the family.

Mr. Williams was archetypal elected successful 2019 and had been sworn into bureau connected Wednesday for his 3rd word serving the 100th District, which includes downtown Middletown and Wesleyan University.

He was a lifelong nonmigratory of the metropolis and the archetypal African American to correspond it successful Connecticut’s General Assembly, according to his biography connected the State House Democrats’ website.

He got his commencement successful assemblage banking successful Hartford and past went into nonprofit management, becoming enforcement manager of the Middletown Downtown Business District, and past manager of advocacy and argumentation for Excellence Community Schools, a charter schoolhouse network, the biography said.

He besides co-founded the acquisition nonprofit EquityCT, served connected the boards of galore section groups and taught a enactment people astatine the University of Hartford, the biography said.

Wrong-way driving connected highways and turnpikes is peculiarly lethal due to the fact that the interaction velocity is doubled erstwhile 2 cars collide astatine 50 miles per hr oregon more.

“The laws of physics travel into play,” said Andrew Gross, a spokesperson for the AAA. “We cognize the car’s quality to support you ends astatine 56 miles per hr and that’s moving into thing stationary.”

Christine Negroni contributed reporting.