A Korean-American Tragedy in Washington

June 8, 2020

Seul Lim and her husband Min Kim opened Pacific Quickmart mid-2015 in Spanaway, Washington. Within their first six months of business, they were robbed twice. The second robbery resulted in a full-fledged gunfight with Seul Lim and Tyrone Anthony Prophet Jr., 23-years-old on February 19, 2016. The gunfight ended with Lim being shot in the abdomen and Prophet making a getaway and dropping the money he just robbed in the parking lot.

Tyrone Anthony Prophet Jr and his girlfriend were later apprehended after police spotted their getaway car, a white Ford Taurus at a Tacoma gas station, according to Q13Fox. A subsequent search warrant was carried out at a Motel 6 nearby, which turned up a .380 pistol and matching clothes Prophet wore during the robbery captured on CCTV.

Tyrone Anthony Prophet, Jr. Image via KIRO 7

Seul Lim’s husband, Min Kim felt guilty and angry like any loving husband would. He much rather have preferred the robbery taken place during his shift and he would have gladly taken that bullet instead of his wife.

Min Kim and his wife Seul Lim. Image via Q13 Fox

On March 26, 2016, one month after Seul Lim’s gunfight, Pacific Quickmart was robbed once again for the third time. This time by 21-year-old Jakeel Mason. Kim shot Mason and killed him after a brief struggle.

Jakeel Mason. Image via KOMO News

Kim’s original story to police and media outlets was “I was down and he was on top of me and he was trying to reach my gun.”

However, prosecutors showed the CCTV footage in court and showed Mason, who was unarmed, putting his hands up after the brief struggle. Mason can be seen trying to run away and Kim shooting Mason in the back.

It should be noted Mason is no angel. He was convicted of trying to kidnap a 6-year-old Parkland girl. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail for “unlawful imprisonment.”

Kim ultimately took responsibility for his actions and addressed the court “I did not have the right to take Mr. Mason’s life or anyone else’s life,” Min Kim said in court on Friday. “I feel terrible that I did so and will have to live with that for the rest of my life.”

Seul Lim tried to plead with the judge for leniency “I was shot by a robber and after that my husband struggled in fear of losing me,” she cried.

On June 23, 2017, Judge John Hickman acknowledged the situation was tough but said deadly force was not warranted. This is because of the fact Mason stopped his struggle with Kim and ran away. In the eyes of the court, the imminent threat was gone, therefore, shooting Mason while he was running away was illegal.

Judge Hickman sentenced Kim to 8 years in prison. Kim accepted the sentence like a man, but the reality of the prison term was very painful for his family in court.

Image via Q13 Fox

Feature Images via Q13 Fox

    1. If Min Kim wasn’t quick on his feet you know very well he would’ve been shot as well, and his shooter probably free in a decade or so to do the same thing again. Such is the worth of asian lives in america.

  1. This is unfair !! He should have served one or two years only ! System is corrupted. Mason tried to kidnap a 6 years old and only get 90 days . Who knows what shit he did between him being out and until he left earth

  2. What kind of justice is this? He shouldn’t even be put in jail just because some idiot came and tried to rob them so many times.

    1. Everyday, everywhere, blacks people claimed being discriminated. Told them, we did not discriminate you because you are black, What the black people did make the blacks being disliked.

  3. He deserves a sentence for second degree murder. What’s with this “no angel crap ” – one guy kidnapped and another murdered. Kim is a murderer.

    1. Kim spent his savings on the supermarket, he had to go there everyday.
      Half year, three robberies, the first one, not known, second and third by black people.
      His wife was shot in the second one.
      Obviously, this supermarket was being targeted to get easy money. If this tragic did not happen, do you think he can have a peaceful life? I don’t think so! There will be robbery every one or two month waiting for him unless he closed the shop and move to another state hoping for better luck. Can anyone feel the tension he is having everyday?
      If I was Kim, I would pull the trigger, how do I know if the robber has any gangster outside and they will come back together?
      Obviously, Kim was not a well trained shooter. The died of the young black was tragic but it was an accident. Don’t call him a murderer. He was the one being bully and no one can helped him.

    2. If that criminals Mason did not come to rob his store in the first place than none of this would’ve happened. If you rob you get killed no ifs ands or buts about it.

    3. Cylee1180 if I came to your place to rob you with my back turned to you and a gun pointed back at you. Would you shoot or just give me the money? If you do just give easily, hook it up with yo address lol

  4. If BLM is for all minorities and for justice, they need to get him out for protecting what’s his and go protest. He wasn’t out looking for anyone to rob or kill. That’s just the luck of withdrawal that Mason received that day for his actions. Asians need to speak up and start fighting this system!

    1. Agreed!! I’m tired of Asian business owners constantly being robbed and attacked, and Asians are hated for defending themselves. Let’s see how the prosecutors and judges can react when they’re shot and punched by robbers. Were Asians the ones who enslaved, lynched, or hanged Blacks?? No, it was the White people who did it. Asian immigrants just want to succeed, and we shouldn’t be treated like this.

  5. How can they say threat was no longer there after the struggle. Wtf. So if Kim didn’t win the struggle he’d been dead. Imagine that. Fucked up system. There goes black/criminal privileges

  6. If that scum of the earth Mason did not come to rob his store in the first place then none of this would’ve happened. If you rob or commit a crime you’re taking a chance with your life. End of story.

  7. The system is set to punish only the good people and let the bad guys go free. The problem is we (many of us) can’t or chose not to be the bad guys and that’s our loss, sad.

  8. This is why there’s SO much robbers OUT there!!!!!! It’s all b/c we/government let them rob us at gunpoint but we can’t defend ourselves. I don’t care if you are blue, black, white, purple so on in colors… you know better not to take anymore’s belongs w/o paying or permission. If so, you deserved exactly what you got!!!!!!

  9. Take the sentence that the dead wannabe robber would have received had he not been shot and subtract that from the shopkeeper’s sentence. That would probably get the shopkeeper out…yesterday.

  10. Just why every story is KOreans are lawfully trying make their lifes better and blacks trying to destroy it? They can’t make their own shit, they can’t rightfully develop their own businesses so they rob steal attack and etc. Just low lives, I hate them

  11. His first mistake was not being a cop, apparently they are the only ones that can shoot you in the back and get away with it.

  12. This is not justice. The man had every right to kill a criminal who posed a threat to himself, his livelihood, and society. Law-abiding Asian should not be sacrificed to fulfill white guilt or placate the liberal media. Every man, woman and children should have a right to protect themselves without some bullshit system that fails us every time. Asians are pushed and pushed again at the front lines of a battle we did not sign up for, for gains that are not our own, for ideas that we do no support. Wake up fellow Asians!!!

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