Victims & Suspect Identified In Gorge Concert Shooting

Grant County Sheriff Joe Kriete provided the victim's names and the suspect in the shooting that killed two and wounded two others outside the Gorge Amphitheater concert on Saturday.

Sheriff Joe Kriete says County Coroner Craig Morrison has confirmed two female victims have been identified as 29-year-old Brandy Escamilla and 26-year-old Josilyn Ruiz, both residents of Seattle.

Two others sustained injuries from gunshot wounds. They are identified by the GCSO as 31-year-old Andrew Cuadra of Eugene, Oregon, and 20-year-old Lily Luksich of Mill Creek, Washington. Both were initially treated at local hospitals. Cuadra was transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with a gunshot wound to the shoulder.

Kriete says a private security officer suffered bruising and lacerations due to the impact of a bullet that deflected off her eyeglasses but was not seriously injured.

The Sheriff says the suspect has been identified as 26-year-old James M. Kelly of Joint Base Lewis-McChord. He was hospitalized for a gunshot wound and was returned to the Grant County Jail on Tuesday. Kelly is being 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.

Grant Co. Sheriff Joe Kriete

Sheriff Kriete shared some brief details of the shootings that happened at the campground at the Gorge Amphitheater Saturday night, June 17, 2023, around 8:20 p.m.

The MACC 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 on duty providing services at the Gorge at the time; Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Moses Lake Police Department, Soap Lake Police Department, US Bureau of Land Management, Quincy Police Department and the Royal City Police Department.

Kriete says officers quickly responded to Campground H in the northeast corner of the campground and and 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 victims were identified as Escamilla and Ruiz.

More details will be released by the North Central Washington Special Investigation Unit which is conducting the investigation into the events that occurred during this incident.

There will also be probable cause statements filed in the coming days which will provide additional details.

Source: Victims and A Suspect Identified In Gorge Concert Shooting