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Gorge shooting victim reflects on run-in with suspected gunman

Andrew Cuadra, who goes by August Morningstar, is suffering from a shattered rotator cuff after being shot Saturday at one of the Gorge campgrounds.

GEORGE, Wash. — "I hit the lottery when it comes to, wrong place, wrong time," Gorge shooting victim August Morningstar said from his hospital bed.

Morningstar was one of several shot during a shooting at one of the Gorge's campgrounds at the Beyond Wonderland festival.

Two people were killed in the shooting, Morningstar, and two others were injured. 

Since Saturday, Morningstar has been recovering from a gunshot wound in his shoulder at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center.

"The thing that holds the ball joint, well, that part got shattered," Morningstar said. "And so I don't have full mobility of my left arm. I can grip things with my hands, move my fingers."

Despite the pain he's enduring, he said he's still trying to stay positive.

"Just try to be a positive example for people who go through bad experiences like this and go to show that you can be positive no matter what happens to you," Morningstar said.

Morningstar explained he was looking for his brother in one of the Gorge campgrounds when he said a situation in front of him escalated quickly.

"I heard a girl say, 'We got we got to call the cops, we got to call. We got to call the effing cops.' I saw her," Morningstar said. "Then when I saw her, I turned around immediately because everything told me, don't be there, this isn't a place you should be it's not safe.10, 15 seconds later I hear, 'Please don't do this. You don't got to do this,' then I turn around, and she's closer. And within that, when I saw her, within the first like, two seconds, the guy hopped out and pointed his gun at me.”

Morningstar said he can't remember much about the gunman. He said when the gun was pointed at him, that took over his entire focus.

"The moment he put his gun up and pointed at me, the gun was all that matter to me, and like trying to get out of its line of sight," Morningstar said. "I moved, weaved around and he shot me. When he shot me, it made me realize that I got to escape, I gotta do better. And so I jumped behind my best friend's tent, which is probably the main reason why I survived because I got out of his sight and he couldn't see me."

Morningstar said he was chased by the suspect. He said he can only theorize why he may have become a momentary target.

"I found out that there was two people that were killed and two other people that were injured, which I was one of the other people that was injured," Morningstar said. "I think he might have thought that I witnessed something, which I didn't. I didn't see nothing. I just saw a girl in distress and so I turned around and walked in the other direction. So this is my conclusion, now, after thinking about it, is that he thought I was a witness, and he murdered someone, and he didn't want to have any more witnesses. So he came after me because he thought I saw something that I shouldn't have."

Morningstar traveled to the Beyond Wonderland festival from Eugene, OR. He said from the moment he faced the gun to running from the suspect, he had one focus: his two-year-old and soon-to-be six-year-old daughters.

"I got to survive so I can see my daughters and my daughters can have a dad. I didn't want them not having a father, growing up without one.”  

Morningstar said he was able to get away and get help. He said the kindness and care of a stranger named Brett may have helped save his life.

"If it wasn't for him, I don't think I would have like been in the situation I am right now," Morningstar said as he teared up. "He held on my wounds, made sure that to put pressure on my wounds and was there with me until staff was able to help." "He was there for a solid hour, holding my wounds down, covered in my blood, being a good human being is what he was doing. Being a good person like I'm very thankful for."

He said he was taken to the on-site medical tent before being transported to a hospital in Quincy, WA.

"They got me in the helicopter and I took off," Morningstar explained. "It's actually also one of the times where I'd seen the most beautiful sunsets. I saw a gorgeous sunset."

He said he was taken to Harborview Medical Center where he's been waiting on surgery for his shattered rotator cuff.

He said he's hoping to recover soon so he can get back to his handywork, making jewelry, but most importantly, being able to hold and hug his girls.

"That's all I want to do is see my daughters and hold them and give them kisses," Morningstar said.

In light of all circumstances, Morningstar is positive about the future, which he said will include more festivals.

"I'm not gonna let some, one, bad experience ruin the rest of my days," Morningstar said. "So I'm definitely going to go to another festival."

A verified GoFundMe for Morningstar's medical expenses has raised over $22,000.

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