Family of woman killed in 2023 Belltown shooting sues King County homelessness agency, claiming it failed to intervene

The family of a woman and her unborn child who were killed in a shooting in Belltown in 2023 is suing the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA).

Sung Kwon and his wife, Eina Kwon, were sitting in their car at a stoplight in Belltown when Cordell Goosby walked up and fired into the passenger seat, killing Eina Kwon and her unborn daughter. Now, Kwon’s family is filing a wrongful death lawsuit against KCRHA, alleging the agency ignored dangerous warning signs in Goosby while he was under its care, The Seattle Times reported.

KCRHA was managing Goosby’s case and providing him with housing before the shooting. The lawsuit alleged Goosby was becoming increasingly threatening and aggressive, fighting with strangers and talking about shooting people, according to The Seattle Times. Instead of alerting police, the lawsuit claimed the agency downplayed Goosby’s mental health crisis.

Man accused of Belltown shooting fell into KCRHA care in 2022

Goosby was first enrolled at KCRHA in 2022 and did not show any signs of concerning behavior. But, after his sister died, Goosby went to Harborview’s psychiatric unit multiple times, reporting hallucinations, paranoia, and suicidal and homicidal ideation, according to the lawsuit.

In 2023, Goosby was placed in an apartment near the Pacific Science Center, with the agency paying his rent and furnishing the unit. Goosby eventually reached out to the agency for help and met with a supervisor. The supervisor told evaluators he didn’t take Goosby’s statement about committing drive-by shootings “as serious threats,” according to the lawsuit.

As the year went on, KCRHA received regular complaints about Goosby’s behavior from his apartment managers. Goosby again said he was having paranoia and talked about shooting people, but staff allegedly took no steps to address safety concerns, the lawsuit stated.

Eina Kwon was killed in June 2023. Goosby was found not guilty by reason of insanity in March and was sent to a psychiatric hospital.

The Seattle Times said the lawsuit claims KCRHA is liable for the shooting because the agency failed to intervene in Goosby’s mental health crisis. Kwon’s family is seeking monetary damages to be determined by a jury.

KCRHA told The Seattle Times it cannot comment now that the matter is active litigation, but acknowledged the shooting was a “horrific tragedy.”

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