Grant County deputies to step up security at Gorge Amphitheatre after festival shooting

GRANT COUNTY, Wash. - The Grant County Sheriff’s Office has promised to step up security at the Gorge Amphitheatre this weekend, weeks after a shooting at the venue that left two people dead and three injured.

The agency says they will have additional officers staffed at the Gorge for "safety and security enhancements" at the venue and campground sites. According to the sheriff’s office, they will not be searching cars or security screenings of concertgoers, which will still be handled by private security.

"We want to reassure campers and ticketholders that there will be more law enforcement officers at The Gorge and The Gorge Campground to help provide the safest environment possible," said Sheriff Joe Kriete. "We recognize that there are a lot of concerns and fears, and we are feeling those concerns and fears, too."

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Court docs: Beyond Wonderland shooting suspect claimed he was hallucinating on drugs

Latest on the shooting suspect

26-year-old James Kelly appeared before a judge Wednesday. He pleaded not guilty to five charges in connection with the shooting—two counts of first-degree murder, and three counts of first-degree assault, one of them a domestic violence charge.

Kelly told investigators he believed he was hallucinating on mushrooms and believed "the world was ending," prompting him to return to his car at the campground, grab his gun and start indiscriminately shooting concertgoers on June 17, according to court documents.

His girlfriend called 911 and reported he had a gun before he snatched her phone away, then later shot her, court docs say.

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Kelly’s readiness hearing is scheduled for Aug. 21 and his trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 23, with a deadline of Sept. 5.