According to Pitchfork, Grant County police officers detained a man who was believed to be planning a mass shooting at the Bass Canyon EDM festival in Washington this Friday (August 19) which was taking place at the Gorge Amphitheater. Witnesses and security guards claimed to have seen 31-year-old Jonathan R. Moody allegedly load two 9mm pistols and “inhale an unknown substance” before asking festivalgoers what time the event was ending and which exit routes they were planning on using. Following the reports, security detained Moody outside of the venue and was ultimately arrested by police on suspicion of one count of unlawful carrying or handling of a weapon. He was booked into Grant County Jail. 

Shootings at music festivals are not too uncommon in the U.S. Just this month, a shooting at the Musikfest festival in Pennsylvania left one man hospitalized and others injured due to an ensuing stampede. Back in 2017, more than 50 people were killed and hundreds were injured at the Route 91 Harvest festival. Earlier this year, four people were shot near the South by Southwest festival venue. It has been reported that Georgia’s Music Midtown Festival was canceled due to the state’s recent gun ruling that prevent organizers from banning guns on festival grounds because of publicly owned status. Recently, a security guard at the Lollapalooza music festival was arrested for allegedly sending a fake mass shooting threat.

Various musicians have pledged to donate to gun safety organizations following the rise in mass shootings in the U.S. including emo legends Panic! At The Disco and Fall Out Boy. In late May, music industry professionals reacted to the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that left nineteen students and two teachers dead. 

Photo Credit: Boston Lynn Schulz