QUINCY, Wash — One of five people shot near an electronic dance music festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre on June 17 says he was thinking of his daughters as he ran for his life.
August Morningstar was looking for his brother that evening when the shooter began firing into a crowd. Two people were killed and three were injured, including the suspected shooter, before the suspect was taken into custody.
Morningstar told KING 5 it was his first festival in 10 years. His brother purchased a two-day VIP ticket for him.
Earlier in the day, Morningstar said people were igniting fireworks. After leaving his campsite to look for his brother, he said he thought he heard more.
Then, a female nearby said someone needed to call police. Morningstar kept walking, not knowing why the police would need to be called.
He heard another female saying to call 911.
Instincts kicked in and Morningstar felt the need to turn around. About 10 to 15 seconds later he heard a female say, "You don't have to do this."
The suspected shooter, a male, according to Morningstar, walked out from behind a tent and shot him.
Morningstar dove behind a tent to get out of the shooter's line of sight, then began running. The shooter chased him, he said, firing as he did.
He was thinking about his daughters as he did everything he could to flee the area.
"Don't want my daughters to not have a dad," he recalled of what was going through his mind.
Morningstar was helped at a medical tent and eventually flown to Harborview Medical Center. He said he didn't sleep for about 24 hours because he was afraid he wasn't going to wake up.
The shooter was taken into custody around 8:25 p.m., according to information from the Grant County Sheriff's Office.
The North Central Washington Special Investigation Unit took over the investigation.