Belltown shooting suspect charged in murder of pregnant woman, but no charges in death of baby

The man accused of shooting at a couple on their way to work, killing a pregnant woman in the process, has been charged.

King County prosecutors officially charged Cordell Goosby with one count of first-degree murder and one attempted murder.

Tuesday, June 13th police believe Goosby ran up to Sung and Eina Kwon’s car and opened fire. Eina was hit four times and died as a result. The baby girl she carried for the last eight months sadly died as well. The reason he’s facing one murder charge and not two is that it’s not known if the baby girl was a “person” in the legal sense when she died. Washington state determines if a baby is a “person” by the following common law detailed below:

The common law follows the “born alive” rule that “prescribes that only one who has been born alive can be the victim of homicide. Causing the death of a fetus, whether viable or not, was not considered homicide at common law. If, however, the fetus was born and then died of injuries inflicted prior to birth, a prosecution for homicide could be maintained.

After she was shot, Eina was rushed to the hospital, and her baby girl was emergency delivered. Now investigators have to go back and ask the doctors the agonizing question if the baby girl was a “person” legally. If so, Goosby could face a second first-degree murder charge.

“We watched her through her first pregnancy and we were watching this one,” said Michael Bufano, co-owner of Gallery Mack.

That family is now broken.

“Sometimes their son would come over - growing like a weed. It’s hard to talk about,” Michael said.

Michael owns Gallery Mack with his family. The whole Lenora and Western Avenue block is like a family too, he said. Michael saw Eina almost daily, she’d bring him lunch and even made the food for his son’s wedding. Another business owner, Michael Hoyle of Hoyle Hat Co. a few doors down said Eina was a “magnificent human” and even helped his friend who got into a crash outside of her restaurant. The same restaurant she and Sung came to the US with a dream to open.

“A wonderful young struggling business. We all survived the pandemic together and they finally were able to hire people to help them out. Just people you’d root for and wanted to have as friends and neighbors,” Michael said

Court documents show the man accused in the killing, Cordell Goosby, had a stolen gun. Those same documents also said Goosby put his hands up and said, “I did it, I did it” on Tuesday when police arrested him. He told police then he has a history of mental health. The documents show he asked police if they could hear the “intercom” in the ceiling and walls during his interview with them. The King County prosecutor’s office said investigators are now working to see if they can add a second murder charge to Goosby’s case.

“She was totally sparkly totally fun to be around. Wouldn’t charge me for a diet Coke every time I tried to pay her. Just a happy wonderful person,” Michael said.

The greater Belltown and Seattle communities also felt the impact of Eina’s tragic death. A community organizer has put together a march for Saturday morning. It’s to honor and remember Eina and her baby girl, but it’s also to show the community wants change.

“I think the rest of the Asian American community, especially the Korean Americans, is we were just shocked,” Susanna Keilman said. She’s behind Saturday’s march. She added, “So much has been sacrificed I think before you even get to the United States, and when you get to the United States you are hoping to live out your American Dream.”

Susanna’s mom is also from South Korea. She said she needed to do more than grieve, that’s why she put together the march. It’ll start at 10:45 am, at 4th Ave and Lenora, where the shooting happened. They’ll have a moment of silence at 11 am, the same time gunshots echoed at that intersection three days ago.

“We have city and state funding for homelessness. we have horrible policies that police officers literally have to walk past an open drug scene. It’s all of the crime that came before this that emboldens criminals.”

The march will end at the family’s restaurant on Western Ave. and Lenora, Aburiya Bento House. Susanna hopes the effort will send a powerful message, and stop this from happening to another innocent family.

“There are strength in numbers, but you and I, we should feel safe walking in Belltown. you and I should feel safe walking in our city. You and I should feel safe when we are alone, regardless of the day or time,” Susanna said.

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