SEATTLE — It's been exactly one year since tragedy struck the Belltown neighborhood when pregnant business owner, mother and wife Aina Kwon was shot and killed by a stranger at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Lenora Street.
Aina and her unborn child survived. Her husband, Song, was also shot but survived. Police arrested the suspect, Cordell Goosby, shortly after the shooting.
Song Kwon reopened his restaurant months after the tragedy, and neighboring restaurant owner Mike Hoyle said the grief from the shooting is still felt in Belltown.
“I felt really sick when I first heard about it,” Hoyle said.
Hoyle also said it's been really inspiring to see Song continue to put in the work.
“He's stayed here. He's persistent and he's trying to overcome the adversity that's come his way. I can't imagine what he's going through,” Hoyle said.
Hoyle also hopes that something like this doesn't happen to Song or his family.
“I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I was trying to realize my dream in the heart of downtown Seattle and someone took it away,” Hoyle said.
Hoyle said when it comes to the overall safety of the neighborhood, and specifically the safety of business owners, unfortunately not much has changed.
“There's a lot of promises. They're saying a lot of things, but for me personally, as a small business, I'm not feeling any of it,” Hoyle said.
Goosby's next comprehensive pretrial hearing is scheduled for June 27. The trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 19.
