First responder describes helping Eina Kwon, moments after she was shot in Belltown

“I just thought I have to do everything I can to give them the best chance of survival,” said Randey Norberg.

Randey Norberg is still shaken two days after he responded to an unimaginable scene in downtown Seattle. Randey was the first person on the scene after police said Cordell Goosby opened fire on a couple at a red light. Eina was shot four times.

Randey was just feet away from the intersection of 4th and Lenora. He said he did everything he could to save Eina and her baby.

He said he heard the shots, and took cover for a second before he ran to Kwon’s car. He came back to the corner two days later, and saw Eina’s face again, but sadly it was in a picture at the memorial marking the place she was killed.

“I came around the driver’s side window and I saw that he was holding his girl. She was hit.”

The people Randey Norberg ran up to help were Sung and Eina Kwon. They sat at the 4th and Lenora and were on their way to work when police said Cordell Goosby opened fire. Eina was hit four times, Sung was hit too.

“I don’t even think he realized he was shot. He was shot through the left arm,” said Randey. “He was like screaming and asking for me to help him and that she was pregnant. One of the first things I saw was that she was pregnant. She was in really bad shape.”

Randey added, “That was the worst part. That was definitely the worst part when I saw that.”

Randey said he grabbed his hemostatic dressing and gauze and wrapped them around Eina’s head. He said he held her head tight to try and stop the bleeding.

“I was just trying to check her body for more gunshots and I couldn’t see any so I just held the dressing on her head, held pressure on it, and then I heard the sirens coming down the block,” he said.

Randy said the police came and took over Eina’s care. By then she had stopped breathing and needed CPR.

>>GoFundMe account to help the Kwon family.<<

“It’s always in the back of my mind. I can still picture it pretty clearly,” Randey explained.

Eina and her baby girl both died as a result of the shooting. Sung briefly got to meet his baby girl before he was forced to say a final goodbye. Two days after the shooting, Randey is back on patrol, but 4th and Lenora will never look the same through his eyes.

“It was really sad to see. And it really made me mad that that could happen to an innocent person like that. It’s just unspeakable that this could happen,” Randey said.

The alleged shooter, Cordell Goosby, waived his right to appear in court both Wednesday and Thursday.

The seemingly random killing has people in the area on edge. KIRO 7 news talked with people at the 4th and Lenora intersection who either stopped at the light in a car or walked by on Tuesday as part of their regular routine. They said they’re scared and look over their shoulders now they know Eina Kwon and her baby girl’s lives were cut short with no warning, while on their way into work, their everyday routine.

“It’s been a shock for the last two days. Honestly,” said Ralph Bufano.

Ralph Bufano owns Gallery Mack. It shares a wall with the Kwon’s restaurant. That restaurant is now closed until further notice.

“Then somebody came by and said she was the one that was killed,” Ralph said. He added, “My grandson got married and we had a little event here at the gallery and they created over all the food for it.”

Two days after the killing there’s a growing display of bouquets on their closed restaurant door. The sheer amount just shows how much Eina will be missed and how much the Belltown neighborhood’s hearts ache for Sung knowing he held the mother of his children as she died. He briefly got the chance to meet his baby girl before being forced to say a final goodbye. She died after an emergency delivery.

“The senselessness. It’s just sad. Terribly sad,” said Steve Cecil, who lives near the restaurant. He added, “I don’t consistently feel safe walking in parts of the city.”

Steve said he and his wife stopped at that same 4th and Lenora red light Tuesday as well. Knowing Eina and her baby girl died there is still hard to process.

“It’s one thing when it’s not part of your daily pattern, but when it’s part of what could be anybody’s experience. That’s the really challenging part,” Steve said. Ralph added, “My kids come to work, that’s where they turn. Right where they were shot. That gives you the idea that this could happen to anybody.”

KIRO 7 has asked both the Seattle Police Chief and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell to sit down and answer questions about downtown Seattle’s safety, in response to Tuesday’s seemingly random killing. Read what Seattle Police Chief Diaz said in an interview with KIRO 7 Thursday.

In statements released by Mayor Harrell, he shares that Seattle police have recovered over 600 guns so far in 2023. Court records show Goosby used a gun stolen out of Lakewood during Tuesday’s showing. Police posted a video in lieu of an interview.

“It’s important for leadership to understand is that each of these incidents kills the downtown a little more.” Steve Cecil continued, “We’ve seen a lot of progress but each one of these is a setback.”

Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell released the following statement:

“My deepest condolences go out to Sung Kwon and the entire family of Eina Kwon who was tragically murdered this past Tuesday in our Belltown Neighborhood. Eina was a leader in our community and business owner, running Aburiya Bento House with her family. What was supposed to be a joyful time for the Kwon family has turned into an unimaginable nightmare caused by senseless gun violence.

“This tragedy is horrific in so many ways – we have lost a mother and unborn child from an act of unprovoked violence. My heart is with Sung, who I spoke to today to express our support and condolences – he is a grieving but resilient father and husband who is grappling with unimaginable pain while recovering from his own injuries. My heart is also with their young child, who will grow up without their mother, and our broader community that must process yet another traumatic, unnecessary incident that leaves our community hurting and incomplete. It is a universal truth that every person desires to be safe and feel safe in their neighborhood, and for AAPI and immigrant communities in particular, this loss drives an agonizing grief and reinforces common fears – a reflection of too many incidents of hate and discrimination and heartache rooted in love for one another.

“This never should have happened. This tragedy is the result of the fact that there are too many guns on our streets, in this city and in this country, that allow individuals to make split-second decisions that can have devastating consequences. The fact of the matter is that there was a gun, which had been reported stolen, in the hands of someone who should never have had one. Last year alone, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) recovered nearly 1,350 guns, and this year they have already recovered nearly 630 guns. The epidemic of gun violence is causing irreparable harm to our communities, and it is unacceptable.

“We must make every effort to keep our communities safe and must remain relentless in our efforts to take guns off our street, increase law enforcement and behavioral health resources, advance community-based solutions to gun violence, and hold those who cause harm accountable for their actions.

“We are grateful to all the first responders who did everything they could to treat Sung, and try to save Eina and their baby. I commend SPD in making an immediate arrest of the suspect, and for their ongoing work as this case progresses.

“Our entire community is mourning, and I join the Kwon family, friends, and our entire city as we process this tragedy and grieve this loss. I am holding the Kwon family and friends, employees and customers of Aburiya Bento House, downtown community members, and AAPI community members in my prayers during this difficult time.

“Every day we are working to make our city be and feel safe, but incidents like this show there is more work to be done because even one death of this kind is abhorrent and unacceptable. Times like this are challenging for us all as we search for answers and seek to rationalize the irrational. Our response to this tragedy must be to come together in unity, honor the lives of Eina and the unborn child, and continue with action to keep our families and communities safe from violence.”

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