While working Election Day in 2022, Sam Plo Kwia Collins Jr. drove alongside Aaron Marckell Williams to cover the evening results for the Washington Informer. As it became clear that Kenyan McDuffie would win his bid for an at-large seat on the D.C. Council, the duo rushed over to McDuffie鈥檚 victory party.
As soon as Collins Jr. parked his car, Williams 鈥済ot to the front and took a very iconic photo鈥� of during his victory speech.
Over three years later, Collins Jr. saw the photo again on the Informer鈥檚 website and began thinking about his former colleague.
鈥淥nly to find out a couple of days later that he left us,鈥� Collins Jr. told WTOP.
Williams, 26, was killed after being struck in a multivehicle crash following a high-speed chase in Northwest D.C. on Wednesday afternoon. A 20-year-old man was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
To those who know him, Williams, a D.C. native, was known for his chill personality and love of photography. is filled with event coverage featuring hip-hop artist Pharrell Williams and former President Barack Obama.
The pair met after Williams returned to the District after graduating from the University of Miami.
His love of photography shined as
During downtime, Williams was very personable, Collins said, and willing to share about his background growing up in D.C. and attending a boarding school before going to Miami. While his laid-back approach may have confused some, he was not lazy, Collins said, calling his photos 鈥渜uality work.鈥�
鈥淗e just made it look very effortless, and that just spoke to his personality,鈥� Collins said.
Williams recently chose to take a break from the Informer to focus on
Washington Informer Managing Editor Micha Green he was traveling multiple countries, including Ghana, to continue working as an 鈥渁mazing visual storyteller.鈥�
鈥淲e are heartbroken over the loss of Marckell Williams 鈥� a talented photographer, storyteller, and beautiful soul who was once part of the Washington Informer family,鈥� the outlet wrote in a 鈥淗is passion for capturing people, culture, and truth will never be forgotten.鈥�
The last time Collins recalls seeing his former coworker, Williams was taking photos at a go-go event on Marion Barry Avenue. Even though he was focused on his craft, Williams stopped for a moment to talk with his former reporting partner. The love shown at that moment, Collins said, spoke about the person Williams was.
鈥淏eing laid back in a city like this, where it gets more expensive and there’s just so much going on, that’s a feat in itself,鈥� Collins said. 鈥淗e had that spirit. He was just too good for us.鈥�
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