A 26-year-old Seattle hip-hop artist who survived being shot outside a Capitol Hill nightclub in May was killed early Sunday in a Burien parking lot, dying from a gunshot wound to the neck. The King County Medical Examiner's Office identified him as Marquise O. Johnson-Goldsmith, who performed music as Godz Child.
What Happened in Burien
Burien police were dispatched to a reported shooting at a parking lot at 15304 First Ave South at approximately 4 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25, according to The B-Town Blog. A third party drove Johnson-Goldsmith to St. Anne Hospital, where he later died. Police described the shooting as a contained event and said there was no danger to the public.
The King County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit is investigating the fatal shooting, per the same outlet's report. As of KIRO 7 News Seattle, no arrests had been made in the case.
A Mother's Plea for Answers
Johnson-Goldsmith's mother says she knows there were several people present when her son was shot, and she is urging them to find the courage to come forward, according to FOX 13 Seattle. Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound is offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who provides a tip leading to an arrest and a charge filed in the case, the station reported.
A Survivor of May's Capitol Hill Shooting
Johnson-Goldsmith's death carries added weight because he had survived gun violence before. Months earlier, he was shot outside the Cultura nightclub near Pike/Pine during an altercation that left three people wounded, as CHS Capitol Hill Seattle News has reported. That May shooting drew significant attention at the time: CHS Capitol Hill Seattle News reported that officers collected nine 9 mm shell casings at the scene just west of the club's entrance, and that one of the people wounded had been involved in the fight while the other two were bystanders.
That case led to first-degree assault charges against a Tacoma teenager. A King County Superior Court judge found probable cause to hold the 19-year-old suspect on investigation of three counts of first-degree assault, according to the same report.
For now, investigators and the artist's family are left relying on anyone who witnessed what happened in that Burien parking lot to step forward.
