Beyond Wonderland music festival cancels second day after shooting in nearby Washington park leaves 2 dead

Organizers of a music festival in Washington state canceled the second day of their event after a shooting at a nearby campground that left two dead. 

Beyond Wonderland at The Gorge announced the change on Sunday while praising authorities who responded to the gunfire that erupted Saturday night. The shooting took place near the electronic music event in George, about 150 miles east of Seattle. 

“We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the local authorities and staff who acted quickly to manage the situation,” it said in a statement, adding that “our heartfelt thoughts and condolences go out to the family, friends and all those affected by this tragic event.” 

Kyle Foreman, a public information officer with the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, told reporters that officers responded around 8:30 p.m. Saturday to “reports of shots fired into [a] crowd” at a campground next to the Gorge Amphitheatre, where the festival was taking place.

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“The shooter then walked away from where the incident happened,” he said, adding that the suspect “continued to randomly shoot into the crowd” before law enforcement took him into custody. 

The sheriff’s office confirmed that two victims were killed and three others, including the suspect, were wounded. The names and conditions of the victims and the suspect were not immediately available. 

“Officials have made notifications to the families of all of the victims of last night’s shooting,” the Grant County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Sunday. “The identities of the victims will be released in the coming days.” 

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Yazmin Alvarez, 30, was with her husband and friend at a campsite near the amphitheater when a woman ran by and told them there was an active shooter, Alvarez told The Seattle Times. 

Alvarez’s group ran toward the exit, finding cover by buildings near a road, along with another dozen or so people. They saw helicopter lights as the festival carried on nearby. 

“It just felt uncomfortable since we are also hearing people having a great time to the left of us,” Alvarez said, according to The Associated Press. 

 

The motive for the shooting remains unclear.  

“We don’t know what the motives were or what the intentions were of the shooter, and we’ll have to wait and see if we can find that information out later on,” Foreman said.  

Fox News’ Stephen Sorace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.