Lesbian Couple Gunned Down in Washington State Mass Shooting

A lesbian couple was murdered in Washington State last month while attending an EDM concert at a campground. They were victims of a mass shooting that left five people shot during the event.

Brandy Escamilla, 29, and Josilyn Ruiz, 26, were killed in the gunfire on June 17.

Their parents said the couple was “meant to be together forever,” NBC News reported.

As the two walked through the campground near the concert venue at Gorge Amphitheatre near George, Wash., a shooter opened fire, striking down the couple and injuring three others. After the shooting, police were able to identify and apprehend a suspect in the attack.

“The suspect in the shootings has been identified as 26-year-old James M. Kelly, an active duty member of the US Army based out of Joint Base Lewis McCord,” the Grant County Sherriff’s Office wrote on Facebook. “Through investigation, NCW SIU has determined the initial shooting event occurred within a campground near the Gorge Amphitheatre, which was hosting the Wonderland music festival.”

Escamilla and Ruiz lived in Seattle.

Those injured in the mass shooting include a 31-year-old victim was wounded in the left shoulder and received medical treatment at a local hospital. A 61-year-old woman with Crowd Management Services was the fourth victim. She had gone to the area where shots were fired. As she responded to the suspect, he fired several times in her direction. She was struck in the right side of her face by a bullet that penetrated the windshield of her vehicle, shattering her glasses and bruising and cutting her. Lastly, a 20-year-old woman allegedly dating the suspect gunman sustained two gunshot wounds to her legs.

In the wake of the shooting, officers discovered the suspect in a field adjacent to the campground. Moses Lake Police Department detective fired one shot at Kelly, injuring him.

Kelly was taken to a hospital and eventually released into law enforcement custody.

According to Grant County Superior Court documents, Kelly pleaded not guilty last week to two first-degree murder charges, two first-degree assault charges, and one first-degree domestic violence charge after being shot at the Beyond Wonderland electronic dance music festival, the Seattle Timesreports.

According to Kelly, he experienced hallucinations on June 17 after taking psychedelic mushrooms. The woman he was dating who was also shot remembered him telling her he thought the world was ending. Taking his gun from his truck, Kelly then shot the two women.