A pregnant woman narrowly escaped a mass shooting during a World Cup watch party in Koreatown, Los Angeles, an incident that underscores the pervasive threat of gun violence in the United States. The author, Sharon Kwon, was celebrating the South Korea vs. Mexico match when gunfire erupted, forcing her to flee and seek shelter.
A Festive Atmosphere Turns Deadly
Walking through Koreatown, Kwon heard popping sounds she initially mistook for fireworks. The area was crowded with Mexican and Korean soccer fans heading to Seoul International Park. However, the mood shifted when people began running and yelling, “He’s got a gun!” Kwon, dressed as the South Korean flag with her pregnant belly painted, froze in panic before her survival instincts kicked in. She ran with the crowd, ducked between cars, and eventually hid in an apartment lobby with 10 to 15 others.
On the phone with her husband, Kwon learned that the gunman had fired into the air. A witness confirmed, “Yes, it was a gun. I saw it. He was shooting into the air.” After minutes of silence, they emerged to find police with assault rifles and caution tape, yet many fans continued as if nothing had happened, even asking to photograph her painted belly. “This is how accustomed Americans are to gun violence,” she writes.
A Hero's Intervention
The shooter, a 19-year-old, was confronted by Luis Romero, 56, who was shot in the leg while disarming him. Romero underwent surgery and faces a long recovery, unable to work. A GoFundMe was set up for him. The suspect remains in custody on $1.1 million bond, facing felony assault charges. Kwon, a psychiatric social worker, notes that violence results from intersecting risk factors across individual, family, and community levels, and she blames systems that failed the young man.
Gun Violence in America
Despite California’s strict gun laws—including background checks and a minimum age of 21—the shooter obtained a firearm. The United States leads the world in gun deaths, with approximately 44,000 in 2024. Koreatown, home to a large immigrant population (53.7% foreign-born), also faces high poverty rates (20%), contributing to underserved communities.
Finding Peace Amid Chaos
After the incident, Kwon and her husband found refuge in a Korean restaurant, where patrons cheered for South Korea. She felt momentarily safe, recalling South Korea’s low gun death rate (0.01%) and high social trust. The World Cup, she reflects, celebrates cultural blending, but the threat of gun violence remains a sobering reality. Three other World Cup-related shootings have occurred this tournament, in San Jose, California; Brockton, Massachusetts; and Kansas City, Missouri.
Kwon concludes, “Every four years during the World Cup, I am allowed to be loud and proud about where I’m from… But as I sit here clutching my 7-months-pregnant belly, more than anything, I think of my baby—and the often-beautiful but still terrifying country that he will be born into.”
