High school sweethearts who were described as “soulmates” have been identified as the victims of a mass shooting at an electronic dance festival by a man allegedly high on psychedelic mushrooms.
Engaged couple Josilyn Ruiz, 26, and Brandy Escamilla, 29, were fatally shot at the Beyond Wonderland electronic dance music festival at The Gorge Amphitheatre in Grant County, Washington last week, in an incident that left three others injured.
Posting to social media following the shooting, Ruiz’s twin sister said: “Brandy was her soulmate and her greatest love and reason for living. Their love was unconditional and unbreakable, something so profound that I always envied. Clearly, it was so strong it kept them together until the end.”
The pair reportedly met in high school and had recently been planning their wedding. They had lived in Seattle for just two months after moving from Southern California when the fatal shooting occurred.
A GoFundMe page set up for the family of Ms Ruiz said: “Our lives will never be the same. Josilyn is a daughter, sister, godmother, aunt, niece, cousin, friend, nurse, and fiance. Words cannot describe the pain our family and friends are grieving from our precious loss of a wonderful angel.”
The family of Ms Escamilla said she was “dedicated and passionate” and had received her nursing degree.
“She and her fiancée enjoyed going on endless adventures alongside their cat, Otis, and their friends… she was dedicated and passionate to helping others and making a difference in the world,” her family said on the fundraising page.
A man who was allegedly high on psychedelic mushrooms was shot and arrested at the scene following the incident. He was identified by police as Army soldier James Kelly, 26, who was stationed at a US Army base in Western Washington.
The shooting took place on Saturday night at a campground just a few hundred yards from the Gorge Amphitheater where thousands of people gathered for the festival. The Gorge is near the city of George, which is located about 150 miles east of Seattle.
Following the initial gunshots, the gunman began moving through the camping area and “continued to shoot randomly into the crowd” until he was detained by police, Kyle Foreman, the public information officer at the Grant County Sheriff’s Office said, according to KABC.
Witnesses said that the couple was trying to help someone who was with the gunman when they were killed.
Attorney Kevin Boyle told KABC that “they were being Good Samaritans and stepped in to protect the victim of the domestic violence, and then Josilyn was shot in the torso and Brandy was shot in the head”.
“We think that was in retaliation for them trying to assist the victim,” he added.
Mr Kelly was shot once by Detective Edgar Salazar of the Moses Lake Police Department. The suspect was treated by police before being arrested.
Mr Kelly, now in Grant County Jail, is being held on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault, and one count of first-degree assault domestic violence.
Three people were injured in the shooting – Andrew Caudra, 31, Lori Williams, 61, and Lily Luksich, 20.
Mr Caudra was shot in the shoulder but authorities have said he’s in a stable condition. Ms Williams was working with Crowd Management Services on the night of the shooting and responded to the incident in a Polaris Ranger UTV. Mr Kelly fired in her direction several times, striking the windshield of the UTV and hitting her in the face, crushing her glasses and causing bruising and lacerations. She was treated at the scene.
Ms Lukish had reportedly attended the festival with the suspect. She was shot twice but has been released from the hospital.
