A pregnant Seattle mother and restaurateur died this week after she and her husband were shot in what police say was an unprovoked broad-daylight attack.
Eina Kwon, 34, was shot four times including once in the head while her white Tesla was stopped at a light at Fourth Avenue and Lenora Street around 11 a.m. Tuesday, FOX 13 reported.
Kwon, who was 32 weeks pregnant, was rushed into surgery at Harborview Medical Center, and her baby was delivered by emergency cesarean, KING 5 said.
Kwon was pronounced dead shortly after the baby was born. The infant initially survived, but later also died, the outlet explained.
Kwon’s husband, Sung Kwon, 37, was also injured in the shooting. He was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday.
Police arrested Cordell Maurice Goosby, 30, at the scene shortly after the incident, FOX 13 said.
When he was approached by police, Goosby allegedly raised his hands and said, “I did it, I did it,” court documents obtained by the outlet recalled.
Later, the suspect claimed that he fired into the couple’s Tesla because he thought they had a gun.
Surveillance video, however, shows Goosby running up to the car’s driver’s side with his arm extended, suggesting the attack was unprovoked.
Goosby — who has not been charged, but is named because of his confession to police — is a convicted felon in Illinois, FOX 13 said.
The gun used in the shooting was reported stolen from the Lakewood area.
In addition to her husband, Kwon leaves behind a young child, friend Michael Hoyle told KIRO 7.
“She was just a really, really giving person,” he said.
“She had a kid on the way with her family and she leaves behind another little one and, uh, who’s gonna help them?”
“You can’t prevent this, not unless there’s policy change. I’m angry and there needs to be action.”
Before her death, Kwon and her husband ran the Aburiya Bento House in nearby Belltown.
The community is rattled by the tragedy — and is looking for officials to take a stand against crime in the city.
“When something like this happens, it kind of colors the argument against coming back. Why should I come downtown — it’s dangerous. It’s hard to counter that at this point,” Eric Tanaka, who runs four businesses on Fourth Avenue, told KIRO 7.
“I would like to see more police downtown walking the streets.”
“It’s a shame that such a pretty city has become so grungy and unsafe to the point where I don’t even want to work downtown anymore,” resident Lisa McGee added to KOMO News.
“I’m definitely scared to be in this area. Action needs to happen quick.”
Speaking at an unrelated event Tuesday night, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell vowed to do his best to address “complex issues of recklessness and violence,” though he did not provide specific examples, the outlet said.
