GRANT COUNTY, Wash. - New court documents have been released in the shooting at the Beyond Wonderland music festival at the Gorge which killed two people dead and injured three others. The documents detail the testimony of the shooter, 26-year-old James Kelly, as well the charges he is facing.Â
According to the documents, Kelly says he travelled to the EDM festival with his girlfriend of approximately one year, Lily Luksich, where they set up a tent at the Gorge campground. On Saturday evening, June 17, Kelly says he took a dose of mushrooms before he and Luksich headed to the concert venue.Â
Kelly told investigators he had previously taken a dose of mushrooms from the same source and had a bad hallucination experience. While they were at the concert, Kelly said he began experiencing the effects of the drug and started hallucinating.
According to Kelly, as the "trip" got going, he started believing the world was ending, and he needed to return tot he camp immediately with his girlfriend. He and Luksich hurried back to their campsite, during which time Kelly repeated, "This is the end."Â
At the campsite, Kelly entered his pickup truck and accessed his handgun from a locked box stored in the center console. Kelly said he loaded a magazine into the handgun, chambered a cartridge, and stepped out from behind the driver's side door.Â
At around 8:22 p.m., 29-year-old Brandy Escamilla and 26-year-old Josilyn Ruiz were walking by together, heading east. Kelly allegedly fired multiple rounds at the pair. They were pronounced dead at the scene due to their injuries.Â
Another concertgoer, 31-year-old Andrew Caudra, also known as August Morningstar, heard the shots nearby and headed towards them. As he approached, Kelly fired at him at least once, striking him in the shoulder and causing serious injuries. A GoFundMe was set up by Caudra's friends to help with medical bills as he recovers.
After shooting Caudra, Kelly left his truck and began heading east, with Luksich following him. At around 8:24 p.m., she used her cell to call 911, telling dispatch her "man had a gun," but was unable to provide more information because Kelly took her phone and discarded it. Her phone was later found a short distance away from the initial scene.Â
The pair moved northeast toward the outer fence of the campground. A Crowd Management Services employee, 62-year-old Lori Williams, was responding reports of shots fired, driving east along the fence line. Kelly fired at least two shots at her Polaris Ranger utility vehicle. One bullet penetrated the windshield and struck her glasses, which shattered and caused bruising and lacerations to her face. A second bullet struck the front metal bumper.Â
Kelly told investigators he and Luksich continued north into an adjacent farm field. In an effort to locate them, deputies responding from Grant County Sheriff's Office flew an unmanned aerial vehicle over the pair. Kelly fired multiple shots at the UAV while it was airborne, striking it once. The UAV was recording video while it flew overhead.Â
According to the documents, while the couple was along the fence line in the farm field, Luksich laid down on the ground multiple times while Kelly either sat on top of her, or leaned over while sitting beside her. At one point, Luksich began to walk away from Kelly, then turned around with her hands raised and walked back to Kelly.Â
Kelly fired one shot at Luksich's foot and a second into her upper leg. The documents state the second shot was life-threatening and resulted in permanent injury to her.Â
Law enforcement contacted Kelly , and he was shot by a police officer. He was taken into custody and transported to Sacred Heart Medical Center for treatment with an officer for escort. He was guarded in his room while at the hospital until he was released into custody.Â
Kelly made his first appearance in court on Wednesday, June 21, where he was charged with two-counts of first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree assault. He was held without bond and is scheduled for arraignment on July 5.Â
