She regularly took the light rail and walked the last part of the route to her South Seattle residence. Just steps from home near South Warsaw Street and 39th Avenue South she was accosted by someone attempting to rob her. A struggle over her purse ended when Nguyen was shot multiple times.

Her 15-year-old son heard the gunshots and, with his father, found Nguyen critically injured outside their home. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center and later died of her wounds. A friend in Vietnam who was on the phone with Nguyen at the time reportedly overheard the attack.

In November 2017 police identified Arshawn Ezekiel Mason, then 20, as a person of interest and released photos, saying he was wanted for questioning and should be considered armed and dangerous. The attack was linked to a string of robberies targeting Asian women in South Seattle around that period.

Did anyone in South Seattle see Nguyen that night or have information about the robberies targeting Asian women?