Gorge Amphitheatre suspect, victims identified
By Dan Thesman on Tuesday, June 20th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News Featured Stories
EPHRATA – Grant County Sheriff Joe Kriete released the following information Tuesday afternoon naming the Gorge Amphitheatre shooting victims and suspect:
I’m Grant County Sheriff Joe Kriete and today I am sharing information about the shootings that happened at the campground at the Gorge Amphitheater this past Saturday night.
On Saturday, June 17, 2023, around 8:20 p.m. the local 911 center received a 911 call reporting shots fired inside the campground at the Gorge Amphitheater near George, Washington.
There were officers from several different local law enforcement agencies providing services at the Gorge that night. Those agencies included the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, the Moses Lake Police Department, the Soap Lake Police Department, the US Bureau of Land Management, the Quincy Police Department, and the Royal City Police Department. All those officers quickly responded to Campground H in the northeast corner of the campground.
When they arrived at the scene, they found the bodies of two females who were unconscious and suffering from what appeared to be gunshot wounds. Both females were pronounced dead at the scene. The two females who have been identified by Coroner Craig Morrison as 29-year-old Brandy Escamilla and 26-year-old Josilyn Ruiz, both residents of Seattle.
There were also two people who sustained injuries from gunshot wounds. They are 31-year-old Andrew Cuadra of Eugene, Oregon, and 20-year-old Lily Luksich of Mill Creek, Washington. They were transported by ambulances to local hospitals. Andrew Cuadra was later transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
A private security officer responding to the report of shots fired was struck by a bullet that deflected off her eyeglasses. She suffered bruising and lacerations due to the impact but was not seriously injured.
The suspect is 26-year-old James M. Kelly of Joint Base Lewis-McChord. He was hospitalized for a gunshot wound and was returned to Grant County today where he is lodged in the Grant County Jail. He is held for investigation of two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault, and one count of first-degree assault domestic violence.
The North Central Washington Special Investigation Unit is conducting the investigation into the events that occurred during this incident, and in the future, they will describe in detail what happened that night. There will also be probable cause statements filed in the coming days which will provide additional details.
I want to express my deepest sympathies to the victims, their families, and friends. This is a tragic incident, and I know that I speak for my staff when I say that we are holding you in our thoughts.
Sheriff Joe Kriete
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News release from North Central Washington Special Investigations Unit
OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING INVESTIGATION **UPDATE**
On 6/17/2023 at approximately 8:25 PM, law enforcement received reports of shots being fired in a campground near the Gorge Amphitheatre near George, WA. During the law enforcement response, an officer-involved shooting incident occurred. The North Central Washington Special Investigations Unit (NCW SIU) was requested and responded to assist with the investigation. At this time, the NCW SIU is handling the investigation of the preceding events and the officer-involved shooting.
The suspect in the shootings has been identified as 26-year-old James M. Kelly, an active duty member of the US Army based out of Joint Base Lewis McCord. Through investigation, NCW SIU has determined the initial shooting event occurred within a campground near the Gorge Amphitheatre, which was hosting the Wonderland music festival.
During this portion of the shooting, 29-year-old Brandy P. Escamilla and 26-year-old Josilyn S. Ruiz both of Seattle, WA, were walking through the campground and were shot and killed. A third victim, 31-year-old Andrew J. Caudra AKA “August Morningstar” of Eugene, OR, was shot one time in the left shoulder and received medical treatment at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WA. He is in stable condition but it is unknown if he has been released.
A fourth victim, 61-year-old Lori Williams, who was working with Crowd Management Services, responded to the area of the shots fired in a Polaris Ranger UTV. During her response she encountered the suspect who shot in her direction multiple times. Williams was struck by a single bullet that penetrated the windshield and struck her in the right side of her face shattering her glasses and causing bruising and lacerations. Williams was treated and later released at the scene.
A fifth victim, 20-year-old Lily A. Luksich of Millcreek, WA., attended the concert with Kelly. Luksich sustained two gunshot wounds to her lower extremities. Luksich was treated and has been released from Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake.
Following the above-described events, officers located Kelly and Luksich in an agricultural field adjacent to the campground. Moses Lake Police Department Detective Edgar Salazar fired his duty weapon at Kelly striking him one time. Responding officers then quickly moved in and Kelly was taken into custody and received emergency medical aid from the officers. Officers also applied emergency medical aid to Luksich for her injuries. Kelly was transported to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, WA. and has been treated and discharged. Kelly has been booked into Grant County Jail.
Detective Salazar is 35-years-old and has been employed with the Moses Lake Police Department since 2015. Detective Salazar is currently assigned to the Street Crimes Unit and is a firearms instructor. At the time of the shooting, Detective Salazar was working in an undercover capacity at the festival. Prior to his employment at Moses Lake Police Department, Salazar served in the United States Marine Corps.
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Captain Brian Chance
Wenatchee Police Department
NCW SIU, PIO
File photo
