Moped rider killed in Congress Heights crash

A 19-year-old Southeast resident operating a moped died after colliding Monday night with an SUV whose driver had turned left into the intersection of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. avenues SE in Congress Heights. The moped rider, Jawan Evans, was ejected from his vehicle as he was going north on the latter avenue, according to D.C. police. Evans was taken by emergency medical responders to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The crash occurred around 8 p.m., police say. The vehicles were a gold 2006 Nissan Murano and a red and black TaoTao moped. The incident was the District’s 16th traffic death of 2019. Ward 8, the municipal area where it took place, has experienced an outsize number of traffic fatalities this year. The Metropolitan Police Department says it is still investigating the crash.

Traffic deaths are down roughly 40 percent as compared to this point last year. City officials are aiming to end traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2024 under a Vision Zero initiative.