SEATTLE — People are still trying to wrap their heads around the shooting that took place at a campground near the Gorge Amphitheater on June 17 at the Beyond Wonderland Music Fest, claiming the lives of two people and injuring two others.
Brandy Escamilla and Josilyn Ruiz were killed. They were an engaged couple that were beloved parts of their communities. The comments in an online fundraiser for both Escamilla and Ruiz reveal the impact they had.
"They dedicated their careers and their lives to helping others," said Lesley K. Han, program director of Nursing Workforce at City of Hope.
City of Hope is a cancer treatment facility where the two got their start in the nursing field.
"We really feel like we watched them grow up," Han said. "They never got jaded with healthcare. They always wanted to give their best in terms of how they could help take care of people."
Their concern and genuine care for others was put on display when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, according to Han.
"We, in response to COVID, had to open up a completely separate COVID wing and they were two of the volunteer nurses that wanted to go into that unit and work there," Han said. "I think that there's true selflessness in the world. Josilyn and Brandy demonstrated that selflessness."
As of the evening of June 26, a Harborview spokesperson said another victim, Lily Luksich, is hospitalized. Luksich released a statement to her online fundraiser passing along her "deepest sympathies" to the other victims and their families and friends. At the time of the shooting, Luksich was dating the suspect, according to court documents.
The suspected shooter, James Kelly, is a servicemember who, at the time of the shooting was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. He confessed to authorities that he was experiencing a "bad mushroom trip" and believed the world was ending, leading to the gunfire.
Prosecutors have charged Kelly with five Class A felonies which carry a life in-prison sentence. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 5.