Talib Shakir, who led a city office that worked with formerly incarcerated residents transitioning to life after prison, was killed in a scooter crash on Capitol Hill Friday night.
Shakir was 50.
“Through his work in public service, most recently leading the Mayor’s Office of Returning Citizen Affairs, Talib was committed to creating opportunities for D.C. residents,” Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office wrote in a statement Saturday afternoon. “We are so grateful for the energy and love he poured into doing just that for the city where he was born, raised, and served.”
According to the Metropolitan Police Department, Shakir was riding an electric scooter Friday night when he collided with another scooter rider at the intersection of 8th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue SE in Eastern Market. Shakir was unconscious and not breathing after the crash and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The other victim, a woman, was released from the hospital.
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Shakir served 25 years in federal prison after being convicted of murder in D.C. in 1993, returning to the city in February 2019. Before assuming leadership of the government office that coordinates efforts to reintegrate former prisoners into civilian life in D.C., Shakir served as deputy director of community relations for the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services.
Shakir recently published a book about his experience, titled “From Cell Block to City Hall: How Lived Experience Becomes the Most Powerful Policy Tool in America.”
“Talib made the most of his second chance and dedicated himself to helping others do the same,” Bowser’s office wrote Saturday. “He loved to mentor young people and prove to them that their city believes in them.”
Each year, anywhere from 2,000 to 2,500 offenders return to D.C. after completing prison sentences, according to the D.C. Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, and roughly two-thirds commit crime again. City officials say inadequate job opportunities and low housing availability are among the most pressing challenges returning citizens face.
“I am heartbroken,” Tomás Talamante, Bowser’s chief of staff, wrote on social media. “Talib was truly one of the kindest, selfless people I have ever met. I am so thankful our paths crossed.”
As of Oct. 10, 33 people have died in traffic crashes on D.C. roads this year — higher than the 17 from the same time period in 2025 but on par with the average over the last three years. The district has seen a recent spate of crashes and fatalities involving electric bikes and scooters, though, including two deaths in September — one of which resulted from a crash between two cyclists.
Electric scooters — including the rentable Lime scooters that are popular in D.C. — have also drawn recent criticism over people using them as getaway vehicles after crimes, or teens crowding sidewalks while riding them in the city.
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