Beyond Wonderland Music Festival Shooting Leaves 2 Dead, 3 Injured

By Michael Hein

The Beyond Wonderland music festival was interrupted on Saturday night when a shooting broke out in the campground. According to a report by BNO News, someone opened fire and killed two people, injuring two others and themself before they were finally taken into custody. So far, authorities have not disclosed a motive for the attack.

The Beyond Wonderland music festival was held at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy, Washington this weekend – just over 100 miles southeast of Seattle. Camping areas were set up for attendees near the outdoor venue, but on Saturday night that campground was the scene of a violent attack. The gunfire broke out at about 8:25 p.m. local time and police were immediately called. The caller said that there was an "active shooter" on the premises.

"Officers pursued, closed-in on the suspect, and have the suspect in custody," said the Grant County Sheriff's Office in an update at around 10:40 p.m. At the same time, the festival organizers issued an alert about the shooting but said that there was no danger to attendees. On Sunday, the sheriff's office held a press conference with more details.

Police revealed that the shooter had fled the scene of the initial shooting before they arrived, according to a report by CNN. When police caught up with them, the shooter fired "randomly" into the crowd while fleeing. Police did not disclose the identity of the shooter, the weapon they used, or their motive. They also have not publicly disclosed the identities of the victims as they are still reaching out to the families first. A post on the department's Facebook page says that the names of the victims will be public within the next few days. They did confirm that two people were killed and two others were injured, while the shooter was injured before being taken into custody.

From here on out, the investigation will be handled by the Washington Office of Independent Investigation rather than the sheriff's office. The branch always investigates officer-involved shootings. On Sunday, the remainder of Beyond Wonderland was canceled due to the shooting. The festival consisted mostly of electronic dance music and immersive art exhibits. Attendees have shared their own experiences on social media.

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