Marquise O. Johnson-Goldsmith had already faced death once and survived. In May 2026, he was shot in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, sustaining grave internal injuries that required a long and arduous recovery. His mother, Melissa Goldsmith, a single parent, was by his side through it all, supporting her son on his difficult path back to health.
Just five months after that harrowing ordeal, the family’s hopes were shattered when Marquise’s life was cut short by another act of gun violence. Marquise O. Johnson-Goldsmith, a 26-year-old male, was killed in the early hours of Sunday, October 25, 2026.
The fatal shooting happened around 4 a.m. in a commercial parking lot at 15304 First Avenue South in Burien, Washington, a suburban city located just south of Seattle in King County. When officers from the Burien Police Department were dispatched to the location after receiving reports of gunfire, they found no victim at the scene. They soon learned that Marquise, suffering from critical injuries, had been driven from the parking lot in a private vehicle. A third party had rushed him to the nearby St. Anne Hospital in Burien in a desperate attempt to save his life.
Despite the swift medical attention, Marquise’s wounds were too severe. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office later officially confirmed his identity and ruled his death a homicide. The cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the neck.
Because the City of Burien contracts with the King County Sheriff’s Office for its police services, the investigation was handed over to the county agency. Detectives from the King County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit immediately began working to piece together the events that led to the shooting. In the initial hours of the investigation, authorities assured the public that they believed it was a "contained event" and that there was no broader, ongoing threat to the community.
Investigators have remained tight-lipped about the circumstances of the shooting. No information has been released regarding a possible motive, what may have transpired in the parking lot before the shots were fired, or whether Marquise was the intended target. Law enforcement has not publicly identified any suspects or persons of interest in the case, and no arrests have been made. The quiet Sunday morning was shattered by a crime that has left many unanswered questions for both the community and Marquise’s grieving family.
The loss was particularly cruel for a family that had just recently celebrated his survival. The previous shooting had left Marquise with a long road to recovery, and his loved ones had rallied around him. To lose him so soon after he had fought so hard to live was a devastating blow. His death added to the growing toll of gun violence in the region, leaving another family to navigate a future without their son.
As of late October 2026, the murder of Marquise Johnson-Goldsmith remains an open and active homicide investigation. Detectives with the King County Sheriff's Office continue to seek leads and have urged anyone who may have information about the shooting, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward. The family that had so recently nursed him back to health is now left to mourn his final, tragic loss. Authorities encourage anyone with information to contact the King County Sheriff’s Office.
