Sheriff: Man arrested at Gorge wasn’t planning mass shooting

GEORGE, Wash. (AP) — The Grant County Sheriff’s Office now says a man arrested at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington state wasn’t planning a mass shooting as investigators previously believed.

Jonathan Moody of Ephrata, Washington, was arrested Aug. 19 after suspicious actions led Live Nation security to detain Moody and disarm him of two 9mm pistols, according to sheriff’s officials.

Detectives afterward interviewed Moody and served search warrants on two vehicles.

Sheriff’s officials said while the investigation is not finished, “What we can say is that we now don’t feel that his intent was to cause a mass shooting,” the Yakima Herald Republic reported.

Previous information from the Sheriff’s Office said that he was seen inhaling an unknown substance or gas from a balloon and then loading two 9mm pistols from the trunk of his car.

Moody concealed one pistol in his waistband and the other in a holster, according to the Sheriff’s Office. He was also allegedly seen approaching concertgoers, asking when the concert ended and where people would be exiting.

Moody was arraigned this week in Grant County District Court on one count of possession of a dangerous weapon and one count of unlawful carrying or handling of a weapon.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his bail was set at $10,000. He posted bail and was released.

The concertgoers did the right thing by reporting suspicious activity, the Sheriff’s Office said.