Pedestrian killed by car fleeing police was photojournalist walking to church

A pedestrian struck and killed by a car fleeing police Wednesday in downtown D.C. was a former Washington Informer photographer walking to his church to take pictures.

Marckell Williams, 26, photographed everyone from top elected leaders to children enjoying local festivals. His joy was using his camera to take news and information to others.

Williams was walking across 16^th Street at L Street before 4 p.m. Wednesday when the driver of a black Chevy Malibu trying to get away from police barreled into him during a disastrous multicar collision.

“What comes to mind for Marckell is his faith, family, his fraternity and fearless storytelling,” former colleague Micha Green said.

She smiled through tears as she talked about Williams and the years they worked together at the Informer. He was right out of college and passionate about journalism. And he was good at it early in his career, Green said.

He recently turned his efforts to freelance work, she said.

“He truly loved his work from Washington, D.C., to Ghana,” Green said. “He told stories that really made a difference and was such an amazing visual storyteller.”

Santana Matthews, 20, was arrested at the scene.

Matthew previously was arrested twice on gun charges in 2024 when he was 18. Court records show in November of that year he was sentenced to 12 months in prison under D.C.’s Youth Rehabilitation Act, but the entire 12 months was suspended.

Court documents say he was arrested on gun charges again last month. Information on the outcome of that arrest was not immediately available.

Matthews is charged with second-degree murder in the crash that killed Williams.