Bass Canyon Alleged “Mass Shooter” Sues Grant County Sheriff’s Office

Jonathan Moody of Ephrata, Washington and his sister have filed a lawsuit accusing the Grant County Sheriff’s Office and their deputies of false arrest, defamation and emotional distress. The lawsuit seeks financial damages of an unspecified dollar amount, and was originally filed in Grant County Court in December 2024 then refiled in US District Court in January 2025. We will update this post with information as it is released or obtained. View a copy of the lawsuit as originally filed here.

In August 2022, Moody was arrested in the parking area of the Gorge after being accused of plotting a mass shooting at Bass Canyon festival. Witnesses reported Moody to Live Nation security alleging that they saw him loading weapons and carrying them in a threatening manner. He was originally charged with felony harassment “threats to kill”, but charges were later reduced to two weapons related charges. Moody served four days in jail. Two loaded 9mm pistols were confiscated at the scene.

Moody stated that he was delivering items ordered from Amazon sent to his sister in Puyallup, WA to her at the Gorge, upon her request. The lawsuit alleges that the Gorge had no signs posted prohibiting firearms, that he had no intention of causing harm and that he had a valid concealed carry permit. The lawsuit also accuses the sheriff’s department of negligent supervision and training policies, as well as financial distress due to the impounding of both Moody and his sister’s vehicles for “more than 48 hours”. Moody states that he did not load any weapons at the scene, and that the reason he was walking back and forth multiple times was that he could not find parking near his sister so he had to make multiple walking trips, all while carrying two loaded weapons.

After the arrest, the Grant County Sheriff’s office released statements to the media and online via social media that they had prevented a mass shooting. Deputies stated that the possession of weapons was not the only factor for his arrest, and that the actions of apparent inhalation of an intoxicant, loading weapons in the parking lot and questioning of when and where people would be exiting the venue raised the suspicions of witnesses and deputies. Law enforcement also noted that Moody did not make any statements to police at the time of the arrest.

Grant County deputies believe mass shooting avoided at Gorge Amphitheater: Grant County sheriff’s deputies on Friday night believe they stopped an Ephrata man who may have had plans to commit a mass shooting at the Gorge Amphitheater.

Citizens and security notified deputies around 9 p.m. of a man in the parking lot. Witnesses’ suspicions were raised when they saw the man inhale an unknown substance or gas from a balloon and then load two 9mm pistols from the trunk of his car. The man concealed one pistol in the rear of his waistband and the other in an outside-the-waistband holster. The suspect, later identified as 31-year-old Jonathan R. Moody of Ephrata, approached concertgoers, asking what time the concert ended and where people would be exiting the venue.

Moody did not make access inside the venue. Venue security detained Moody outside of the venue gates and disarmed him of the two loaded 9mm pistols. After investigating, deputies arrested Moody on suspicion of one count of possession of a dangerous weapon and one count of unlawful carrying or handling of a weapon. Moody was lodged in the Grant County Jail.

The concert series Bass Canyon, an electronic dance music (EDM) festival, was playing at the Gorge last evening and is playing again tonight. Last night’s concert was sold out, which means there were upwards of 25,000 people attending.

The Gorge Amphitheater does not allow weapons on site, but Moody’s possession of weapons was not the lone factor for his arrest. Moody’s actions of appearing to inhale an intoxicant, loading weapons in the parking lot, and his questions about where concertgoers would be exiting and at what time, furthered the suspicions of witnesses and deputies. Moody did not make any statements to deputies.

Nobody was injured.

Remember: if you see something, say something. Citizens saw something completely out of place for the circumstances and notified security, who in turn notified deputies. That combination of situational awareness along with noticing “something does not fit” resulted in a possible tragedy being prevented.

Thank you to the concertgoers who reported this man, and to venue security for keeping the man from getting inside the concert venue. -Grant County Sheriff’s Office August 20th, 2022

After further investigation, the Sheriff’s Office issued a retraction as follows:

Jonathan Moody was arraigned yesterday 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, and his bail was set at $10,000. He was released last evening after posting bail. Moody’s next court date is scheduled for September 8 in Grant County District Court.

Detectives have interviewed Moody and have served search warrants on two vehicles. While the investigation is not yet finished, what we can say is that we now don’t feel that his intent was to cause a mass shooting.

We remind everyone: If you see something, say something. The concertgoers did the right thing by reporting suspicious activity, and we appreciate their involvement. -Grant County Sheriff’s Office August 23rd, 2022

We will update this post with information as it is released or obtained. It will be interesting to see if the Gorge can prove whether or not any signs prohibiting firearms were posted.

 
Stay up to date on upcoming EDM events in the Seattle area by following the EmeraldCityEDM Event Calendar, and enter to win free tickets to local EDM shows on the EmeraldCityEDM Contests & Giveaways page.