QUINCY, Wash. — The two people killed during the shooting near the Gorge Amphitheatre on June 17 were identified as 26-year-old Josilyn Ruiz and 29-year-old Brandy Escamilla of Seattle.
The suspect, who has not been officially charged, is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The 26-year-old male remains in Grant County Jail after being hospitalized for a gunshot wound, according to Grant County Sheriff Joe Kriete.
Officials with Joint Base Lewis-McChord confirmed the suspect is stationed out of there.
Two other people were wounded in the shooting, including a 20-year-old Mill Creek resident and a 31-year-old of Eugene, Oregon.
A private security officer responding to the report was struck by a bullet that deflected off her eyeglasses, according to the sheriff. She suffered bruising and lacerations due to the impact, but was not seriously hurt.
Around 8:20 p.m. on June 17, dispatchers received a 911 call reporting shots fired inside a campground near the Gorge, where an electronic dance music festival was being held.
Officers from several different law enforcement agencies were already providing services at the Gorge when the shooting occurred, including the sheriff's office, Moses Lake Police Department, Soap Lake Police Department, the US Bureau of Land Management, the Quincy Police Department and the Royal City Police Department.
Those officers responded to Campground H, where they found Ruiz and Escamilla unconscious. The two women were pronounced dead at the scene.
The attorney of Ruiz's family believes Ruiz and her fiancée had no relationship with the shooter.
"They did not know the suspect," said Kevin Boyle of Panish Shea Boyle Ravipudi LLP.
Boyle told KING 5 that it is possible that the two young women were killed while they were trying to help a domestic violence victim.
Josilyn Ruiz and Brandy Escamilla
"And that Josilyn and her fiancée Brandy stepped in to help the victim of the domestic violence," said Boyle. "And then shots started ringing out."
They were both nurses; Ruiz graduated from nursing school in 2018. Ruiz's sister-in-law said on a GoFundMe page that Ruiz had a contagious laugh and loved dancing, singing, and attending music festivals.
"The Ruiz family love Josilyn, and they're devastated," said Boyle. "As an attorney, I'm looking into, 'Why did this happen?'"
He said there's a possibility they could sue.
"I'm investigating whether there seems to be a potential of a civil case," said Boyle.
Another shooting victim who survived, August Morningstar, called his involvement "one of those wrong place, wrong time kind of things."
He said he was walking near an argument or fight within the campground.
"A guy popped behind a tent and points his gun at me and he shoots me once, and the moment he shot me, my survival instincts kicked in and I jumped behind one of my friend's tents," said Morningstar. "And then I ran, and he chased me, and he was shooting at me. There's bullets whizzing by me."
And while he lived to see another day, Brandy and Josilyn sadly did not.
"It’s as sad as sad can be," their next-door neighbor in Ballard told us. "They were very happy together.”
She said when she had a bad flooding problem once, in the middle of the night, Escamilla spent hours helping her contain it.
"She came right away with towels to help me," said the neighbor. "They were sweet oh my god.”
The couple were high school sweethearts, according to the attorney.
"They were planning on getting married in Greece, they were heading out in October to scout sites," said Boyle.
Meanwhile, the community is showing their support for Ruiz on a GoFundMe created by her sister-in-law and for Escamilla on a GoFundMe created by a family member.
The shooter was taken into custody within minutes.
The suspect is being held for investigation on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and one count of first-degree assault domestic violence.
The North Central Washington Special Investigation unit is conducting the investigation.