June 19th 2023.
On Monday, the organizers of the Beyond Wonderland music festival provided an update on the shooting that took place at a campsite outside the Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington. Two people had died, while three were injured.
At 8.30pm, the Grant County Sheriff's Office had issued an active shooter alert warning festivalgoers to "run, hide, or fight" if they encountered the gunman. The festival then informed attendees that the Gorge Gate H campgrounds area was closed due to the incident at 10.00pm.
On Sunday, the festival was officially cancelled due to the tragedy. However, many were left wondering why the concerts on Saturday night were not cancelled immediately, and why attendees were not evacuated from the venue.
Pasquale Rotella, the CEO of festival organizer Insomniac Events, explained why the event wasn't cancelled in his update on Monday. He said that the shooting had taken place at an "overflow" campsite, located about half a mile outside of the festival grounds. The situation had escalated, leading the assailant to flee the area.
After the assailant was detained following an officer-involved shooting outside the campground, the festival kept going until about 2.00am on Sunday morning. Rotella said that the decision was made at the request of law enforcement, to ensure that the majority of attendees stayed away from the campground area.
Rotella thanked the staff, organizers, and performers at the festival for remaining calm while chaos erupted outside. He said, "I want to express my gratitude to the artists and staff who remained calm and ensured that the show continued."
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