On the evening of Friday, March 5, 2021, the life of Etenesh Kebede, a 54-year-old Black/African American woman, was tragically cut short in what was described as an act of domestic gun violence. The incident unfolded inside her residence in Des Moines, Washington, a city in the Seattle metropolitan area. The King County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed that Etenesh Kebede died from multiple gunshot wounds and her death was ruled a homicide.
Also found deceased at the scene was
her estranged husband, Hagos Berihun. He too had sustained fatal gunshot wounds. The couple's 26-year-old son was present in the home at the time of the shootings and made the call to 911. When Des Moines police officers arrived, the son told them that his father had shot his mother. Medics attempted lifesaving efforts on both Etenesh and Hagos, but they were pronounced dead at the scene.
In the immediate aftermath, the couple's son was arrested in connection with the deaths, and a judge found probable cause to hold him on investigation of homicide. However, he was later conditionally released from the King County Jail without any criminal charges being filed against him. The police investigation into the sequence of events that led to the two deaths was reported to be ongoing. At the time of his release, he had not been formally accused of shooting his father, although it was noted in police statements that his father had at least one gunshot wound to his back and that the son had been shot in the hand. Etenesh Kebede was a mother to three children and was remembered by loved ones as a woman with a graceful spirit and a contagious smile who was dedicated to her family and community.
