GEORGE, Wash. — The man suspected of a deadly shooting at the Gorge campground in June pled not guilty to five charges against him in court Wednesday.
26-year-old James M. Kelly is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault, and one count of first-degree assault domestic violence. He is suspected of shooting at the campground, where two people were killed and four other people were injured.
Kelly's next court appearance is set for July 25, 2023, and his trial is scheduled for Aug. 23, 2023.
Court documents state Kelly told deputies he was under the influence of mushrooms and was hallucinating when he started the shooting at the campground on June 17.
The campground is located near the Gorge Amphitheatre, where the Beyond Wonderland Music Festival was taking place.
Kelly first appeared in Grant County Superior Court on June 21, where a judge found probable cause to detain him without bail.
According to court documents, Kelly traveled to the music festival with his girlfriend, 21-year-old Lily A. Luksich. Sometime in the evening, Kelly ingested a dose of mushrooms. Police say he began to feel the effects of the mushrooms and started experiencing hallucinations.
Kelly went back to his pickup truck and took his handgun from a locked box stored in the center console. He then started firing into the campground.
29-year-old Brandy Escamilla and 26-year-old Josilyn Ruiz were struck by bullets and died at the scene.
Another victim, 31-year-old Andrew J. Cuadra, was shot in the upper torso and sustained serious injuries.
Crowd Management Services employee, 53-year-old Lori L. Williams, was driving a utility vehicle when Kelly fired at least two shots at the vehicle. One bullet went through the windshield and struck Williams' eyeglasses. The impact shattered her glasses and caused bruising and cuts to her face.
Kelly then fired a shot at and struck Luksich's foot with a bullet, causing injury to her foot, and a second shot that struck her upper leg, causing life-threatening injuries.
A police officer shot Kelly, who was taken into custody.
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