SEATTLE, WASHINGTON STATE: A 30-year-old man has been charged with murder for allegedly fatally shooting an eight months pregnant restaurant owner in a random attack. Cordell M Goosby was arrested on Tuesday, June 13 after he began firing a stolen gun into a Tesla occupied by Eina Kwon, 34, and her husband, Evan Sung Kwon, 37, at a red light at Fourth Avenue and Lenora Street at around 11 am.
Eina, who was eight months pregnant with her second child, was shot four times, including once in the chest and once in the head. She was immediately rushed to Harborview Medical Center, where doctors performed an emergency cesarean section to deliver her child. Tragically, the restaurateur was pronounced dead not long after delivering the baby, who also died shortly. Her husband Evan was also injured in the unprovoked attack but has since been released from the hospital. The police accused Goosby of approaching the white Tesla at a red light, describing Eina's killing as an execution in the King County Superior Court filing.
Who is Cordell Goosby?
Goosby was arrested later that day after he emptied the 9 mm handgun into the car and took off, throwing the gun down. When officers found him nearby, he raised his hands and allegedly repeated the words, “I did it, I did it”. He was taken into custody and has been charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder as a result of the event by the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. He is being held in King County Jail with his bail set at $ 10 million.
As per ABC News, Goosby allegedly admitted to officers in a post-arrest interview that he had a history of mental health care and that he was being harassed by strangers who were circulating false information about his sexuality and accusing him of wrongdoing his caseworker. “He did appear to Detectives to be in some form of crisis whether genuine or knowingly performed,” police noted in a probable cause statement. The accused has no criminal history in Washington State but, as per court documents, he has a criminal history in Illinois and was previously charged with domestic battery, drug offenses, and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. Investigators are currently examining his stolen gun to determine if it is linked back to other crimes in the area.
‘She was just a giving person’
On Saturday morning, a march had been organized in Eina's honor and mourners walked to the Kwon family's restaurant and held a public gathering. A fundraising campaign has been organized for Eina’s family. 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, adding “She had a kid on the way with her family and she leaves behind another little one and, uh, who’s gonna help them?” Before her death, Kwon and her husband ran the Aburiya Bento House, a sushi restaurant near the city's famed Pike Place Market.
Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz described the attack on the Kwon family as the worst he's seen in 26 years. He disclosed that the police had previously dealt with Goosby in relation to information regarding his mental state. "They know of the subject in the past, so they are very well aware of some of the mental health issues he’s had," he added. According to The Seattle Times, Eina Sung's death was the 29th homicide that Seattle police have looked into so far this year. Last year, Seattle police investigated 55 homicides, an increase of 26 from 41 the year before.
