The man accused of firing into a crowd near a Washington state music festival on Saturday, killing two people and injuring three, has been identified as an active-duty member of the U.S. Army, according to the Grant County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Joe Kriete said in a news release that James M. Kelly, 26, of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, was booked into the Grant County Jail on Tuesday.
Kelly is charged with two counts of murder, two counts of assault and one count of domestic violence assault.
Investigators determined that the shooting took place at a campground near the Gorge Amphitheater, which was hosting the Beyond Wonderland electronic dance music festival, Kriete announced.
SHOOTING NEAR WASHINGTON AMPITHEATRE LEAVES AT LEAST 2 DEAD, 3 WOUNDED; SUSPECT ARRESTED
Kyle Foreman, a public information officer with the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, told reporters that officers responded to "reports of shots fired into [a] crowd" at around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday.
"The shooter then walked away from where the incident happened," he said, adding that the suspect "continued to randomly shoot into the crowd" before law enforcement took him into custody.
Brandy Escamilla, 29, and Josilyn Ruiz, 26, both of Seattle, were identified as the two victims killed in the shooting, Kriete said. Both were walking through the campground when they were shot.
Three victims and Kelly were also injured in the shooting.
Andrew Caudra, 31, of Eugene, Oregon, was shot one time in the left shoulder and received medical treatment at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Caudra is in stable condition.
Another victim, 61-year-old Lori Williams, was working the event with Crowd Management Services when she responded to the area where shots were fired. Kriete said Williams "encountered the suspect," who allegedly shot in her direction multiple times, hitting the windshield and striking her on the right side of her face.
While her glasses were shattered and her face sustained bruising and lacerations, she was treated and released at the scene.
Lily Luksich, 20, went to the concert with Kelly and was allegedly shot two times in the "lower extremities" by him. She was treated at Samaritan Hospital and has since been released.
After the shooting, officers found Kelly and Luksich in a nearby field next to the campground.
Police said that Moses Lake Police Department Detective Edgar Salazar, who was working undercover at the festival, found Kelly and shot him. Other assisting officers detained him and provided medical care.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord spokesperson Lt. Col. Mike Burns told KXLY-TV in a statement that the command is aware of the allegations against Kelly.
"We take all allegations seriously and are fully cooperating with the appropriate authorities," he said in a statement.
Police have not shared the motive for the shooting.
