The mother of an accused road rage shooter in Delco was charged with hindering prosecution
Amanda Washington, 41, of Darby, is accused of driving an SUV in Springfield Township when her son, 22-year-old Saddiq, fired shots out of the passenger window, fatally striking 54-year-old King Hua.
The mother of a man charged with fatally shooting another driver during an apparent road rage incident in Springfield Township last month has been charged with hindering prosecution, authorities said Friday.
Amanda Washington, 41, of Darby, is accused of driving an SUV as her son, 22-year-old Saddiq, fired shots out of the passenger window, fatally striking King Hua, 54, at the intersection of State Road and Meetinghouse Lane.
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said Amanda Washington deserved to be charged because she drove away from the scene and did not report her son’s crime to police — even after Hua’s death had been publicly reported.
“It was a catastrophic dereliction of her duties as a parent and as a citizen that led to today’s charge,” Stollsteimer said.
Washington’s attorney could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
Washington was driving to work around 9 a.m. on June 29 in her blue Chevy Equinox and trying to pass Hua, who was driving slowly, according to an affidavit of probable cause for her arrest. Her son was also in the car because he needed the SUV later that day, the document said.
When Washington finally passed Hua, near Springfield Road, the affidavit said, she heard her son firing shots and asked him what he was doing. He repled: “Go. Go. Go. Go, Mom,” the documents said.
Hua, who owned several business in the township, was fatally struck in the head, authorities said. He had been driving home with his wife.
Washington continued driving to work, according to the affidavit, and at one point during the ride, her son said: “Mom, I hope I didn’t kill nobody.”
She did not report the crime to police, prosecutors said.
Detectives spoke with a witness and collected surveillance footage, finding a clear image of the SUV’s license plate. They linked the car to Washington’s home in Darby, the affidavit said, and the day after the crime, they surveilled the property for several hours before taking Washington and her son into custody.
Washington spoke to detectives that night, the document said, telling them she knew her son had a license to carry a gun, but didn’t know he had a firearm in the car that day until he fired shots.
The affidavit did not say why Washington was charged a week after that interview. She faces one count of hindering prosecution, for which bail was set at $50,000, court records show.
Her son, meanwhile, remains jailed without bail on charges including murder.