HARTFORD, Conn. — State Rep. Quentin "Q" Williams had been drinking and his blood alcohol level was above the legal limit before a wrong-way crash took his life in January, according to government officials.
Williams, 39, died in the early morning of Jan. 5 as he returned home from Gov. Ned Lamont’s inaugural ball in Hartford. His car burst into flames after it was struck head-on by a wrong-way driver on Route 9 southbound in Cromwell.
The other driver, Kimede Mustafaj, 27, of Manchester, also died. She was found at fault for the crash and had a blood-alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08, according to a toxicology report obtained by some local media.
FOX61 confirmed the report's validity; however, the full document has not been made public.
It was not immediately clear what exactly Williams’ blood-alcohol level was at the time of his death.
According to the report, Mustafaj also had THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in her system at the time of the crash.
In a statement on Tuesday, Speaker of the House, state Rep. Matt Ritter, said he was notified by the Commissioner of Public Safety that a report on Williams’ death would be coming out and that it would indicate Williams’ alcohol level was “over the legal limit.”
“It goes without saying everybody should follow the law, but in no way does it diminish the way we feel about Q or his legacy,” he said.
On Wednesday, Ritter told reporters at the state Capitol that lawmakers are not “immune to the same things that happen outside of this building.”
“We’re all adults and we expect people to act responsibly,” Ritter said, adding that he did not have the report yet, but that its release was “imminent.”
He also said that he told members of the Democratic caucus about the report on Tuesday to “give people the heads up that it was going to come out.”
“I think people appreciate hearing it from us,” Ritter said.
Gov. Ned Lamont spoke on the report and said that despite what it says, people should focus on Williams's legacy.
“I don’t know anything about the toxicology report, but I do know Q Williams was a hero to a lot of folks in this state and his death was an enormous tragedy and I think that should be 100% of our focus," said Lamont.
Lamont also urged safety amongst his colleagues and the public.
“We’ve had a number of incidents in and around the capitol over the years and even over the last year. I want everybody to look out for each other, too, and make sure when it's time to say stop. And don’t drink and drive," said Lamont. “I don’t think you can regulate your way to paradise here. I just want everybody to be smart and be careful and act like an adult.”
Civil Rights Lawyer Alex Taubes also spoke on Williams's legacy.
“Q was a remarkable human being and a great public servant to the state of Connecticut," said Taubres. “It really could happen to anyone that night who drank and drove home from Gov. Lamont’s ball.”
Williams first took office in 2019 and was sworn into office hours before he passed for his third term serving the 100th district, which includes parts of Middletown.
Williams was a lifelong resident of Middletown and the first African American to represent the city in the Connecticut General Assembly. Before being elected to the legislature, Williams served as Middletown’s city treasurer.
Doug Stewart is the Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
Emma Wulfhorst is a political reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at ewulfhorst@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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