The husband of a Seattle woman who was eight months pregnant when she was fatally shot in 2023 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA)—alleging the agency failed to act despite warning signs that the gunman posed a danger to others.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Sung Kwon, alleges that KCRHA failed to act despite repeated warning signs that the gunman, Cordell Goosby, who was a supportive housing program participant and receiving case management from KCRHA, was experiencing a severe mental health crisis and posed a danger to others.
The suit seeks damages and alleges the agency’s failures contributed to the June 13, 2023, shooting that killed Eina Kwon and the couple’s unborn daughter, Evelyn, in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. Sung Kwon was wounded in the attack.
The shooting happened at Fourth Avenue and Lenora Street in downtown Seattle as the couple sat in their car. Authorities said Goosby approached the car and opened fire in what investigators described as a random attack.
Earlier this year in March, Goosby was found not guilty by reason of insanity after mental health experts retained by both the defense and prosecution concluded he was legally insane at the time of the shooting. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office accepted the finding rather than proceed to trial.
Goosby has been committed to a state psychiatric hospital.
The lawsuit raises broader questions about the responsibilities of public agencies overseeing supportive housing and behavioral health services for individuals experiencing severe mental illness.
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