Civil lawsuit alleges KCRHA ignored repeated warnings that a program participant posed a danger to others before he fatally shot a pregnant woman and her unborn daughter

SEATTLE — Sung Kwon has filed a wrongful death and personal injury lawsuit against the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA), alleging the agency’s repeated failure to act on weeks of warnings allowed a man in an active mental health crisis to shoot and kill his pregnant wife, Eina Kwon, and their unborn daughter, Evelyn, and to seriously injure Mr. Kwon, on June 13, 2023.

Mr. Kwon is represented by attorneys Julie Kline, Craig Sims, and Andrew Boes of Seattle-based Schroeter Goldmark & Bender (SGB). The lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court, alleges KCRHA had both the knowledge and the power to prevent the gunman, Cordell Goosby, from harming others, but did nothing even after it became aware he posed a danger to the public.

According to the complaint, KCRHA placed Mr. Goosby in agency-funded housing in early 2023 and was supposed to be providing Mr. Goosby with ongoing support. In the weeks before the shooting, Mr. Goosby repeatedly told KCRHA staff he was experiencing hallucinations and paranoia, was getting into altercations with strangers, and was having thoughts of shooting people. The complaint alleges that despite these warnings, along with complaints from his apartment manager about his escalating behavior, KCRHA failed to notify law enforcement, failed to initiate a mental health crisis evaluation, and on at least one occasion discouraged others from contacting police.

Sung and Eina Kwon were married in 2015 and owned a restaurant together in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood, where they were raising their young son. On the morning of June 13, 2023, the couple was sitting in their car at a stoplight in downtown Seattle when Mr. Goosby approached on foot and opened fire. Eina Kwon, who was 32 weeks pregnant, was shot and later died. Her daughter, Evelyn, was delivered by emergency surgery but did not survive. Sung Kwon was also shot and survived his injuries.

In March 2026, a King County Superior Court judge found Mr. Goosby not guilty by reason of insanity on charges of murder and assault stemming from the shooting and committed him to Western State Hospital.

“My wife and daughter should still be here. My family will never be whole again, and every day I think about the life we were supposed to have together. I am bringing this case forward because the people who were supposed to help this man looked away when it mattered most. I don’t want another family to experience the unimaginable loss that I am left with,” said Mr. Kwon.

“KCRHA knew their program participant, Mr. Goosby, was in crisis. He asked them for help. He told them, over and over, that he was hearing voices and thinking about shooting people. He was threatening KCRHA employees. The warning signs could not have been more clear. Instead of getting him help or alerting law enforcement, KCRHA told its own staff to wait it out, and discouraged others from contacting police, as well. Eina and Evelyn Kwon paid for that delay with their lives,” said Julie Kline, SGB attorney representing the Kwon family.

The lawsuit seeks damages for wrongful death, the death of a child, and personal injury, along with attorneys’ fees and costs as permitted by law.

For more than 50 years, SGB has represented individuals in cases involving wrongful death, civil rights, and personal injury, and other matters involving corporate and governmental accountability. To learn more, visit www.sgb-law.com.