'Random Shooting at Korean Couple in Seattle, Pregnant Wife and Newborn Baby Tragically Affected'

30s Suspect Arrested Repeatedly Saying "I Did It"
Korean Community in Shock and Fear

A Korean couple in Seattle, Washington, USA, fell victim to a 'random shooting,' resulting in the deaths of the wife and the baby in her womb.

Tesla vehicle occupied by a Korean couple and police officers [Photo by Yonhap News]

According to local media including The Seattle Times on the 15th (local time), around 11 a.m. on the 13th, a Korean couple in their 30s, Kwon and his wife, who were riding in a Tesla car in the bustling Belltown area of Seattle, were ambushed and shot.

The wife, who was eight months pregnant and close to giving birth, was transported to the hospital after the incident but died from four gunshot wounds to her head and chest.

The fetus was delivered by emergency cesarean section but soon passed away, and the husband sustained a gunshot wound to his arm.

The couple, who ran a Japanese restaurant, had briefly stopped at an intersection when a man suddenly approached them and fired six shots without any apparent reason.

The suspect fled the scene but was arrested by police who responded to the report.

According to the police, the suspect in his 30s used a gun stolen from the nearby Lakewood area and repeatedly said, "I did it, I did it," upon arrest.

Police investigations revealed that he had a prior record involving a deadly weapon in Illinois in 2017 and had received psychiatric treatment.

The suspect claimed he fired because he saw a gun in the Kwons' car, but police stated this was not true.

The police said, "Additional footage recovered from the scene shows there was no interaction between the suspect and the victims before the shooting."

The police are investigating the motive, including whether it was a hate crime.

Meanwhile, the daytime shooting shocked the local community deeply.

This incident occurred just five months after Kim, who ran a restaurant in a nearby area, was fatally shot by an assailant in January.

Flowers and letters left by neighbors were placed in front of the Japanese restaurant the Kwon couple operated in the Belltown area.

A friend of the deceased wife is conducting an online fundraiser to help the bereaved family come to the U.S. for the funeral, and approximately $39,000 (about 50 million KRW) has been raised so far.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.