A 39-year-old Connecticut state lawmaker was killed in a wrong-way highway crash early Thursday morning. He was on his way home from an inaugural ball to kick off the new term.
State Representative Quentin Williams, D-Middletown, was one of two people killed in the head-on collision on Route 9 in Cromwell, according to officials.
Williams, a third-term representative, was well-loved in the community, said State Senator Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, who is acting as a spokesperson for the family.
“This is a guy who knew everybody and saw something in everybody, and he tried to use that to mentor folks, to strengthen the community," said Lesser, who held the Middletown house seat before Williams.
“He was very conscious of his role as the first Black state representative from Middletown, and was really focused on the issue of equity and economic justice,” Lesser said.
“We are in grief, but at the same time we give thanks for his life and the legacy that he leaves,” said Pastor Moses Harvill of the Cross Street AME Zion Church in Middletown, where Williams worshipped.
Legislative leaders closed the state Capitol in honor of Williams.
He is survived by his wife, Carrissa Williams, and his mother, Queen.
