Fans raise security questions after shootings at Insomniac Events festival in Washington

After a shooting at Insomniac Events’ Beyond Wonderland Festival at Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington on June 17 that killed two former Southern California residents and injured several others, fans of the popular electronic music festival promoter’s events have expressed safety concerns.

Fans took to social media to inquire about increased security measures for future events like the sold-out, two-day Day Trip Festival set to take place at The Queen Mary Waterfront in Long Beach on June 24-25.

Pasquale Rotella, CEO of Burbank-based Insomniac Events, has responded to the shooting in a series of posts on his official Instagram account, extending his condolences to the victims’ families and for all of those affected by the shooting. He also explained that this was an isolated situation that took place a half mile outside the perimeter of the main festival grounds, but inside an overflow camping lot.

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“I’d like to say another heartfelt thank you to all the first responders, festival staff, security, artists, and their teams that were present. You were all a critical party in allowing us to make decisions calmly and effectively,” he shared in the post. Since the event was scheduled to be two days and the second day, June 18, was canceled after the shooting, Rotella also said that Insomniac is currently creating ways for attendees to defer refunds to the families of the victims, which include Seattle-based couple Brandy Escamilla, 29, who is originally from Norwalk, and Josilyn Ruiz, 26, of Walnut.

Rotella’s post was met with several comments of support from EDM fans and artists alike. However, there were dozens of fans, some claiming to be multi-year veterans of Insomniac Events like EDC in Las Vegas, Beyond Wonderland and Nocturnal Wonderland in San Bernardino and more, asking about increased safety protocol following the shooting. They also voiced concern over noticing a lack of security and overcrowding at events at in recent years.

“Even though the argument can be made that this happened at the campground not the venue, multiple people have come forward to say that the security lately hasn’t made us feel safe,” Alex Gomez, a fan and festival attendee shared in response to Rotella’s Instagram statement on Thursday. “I’m sure many of us would like to hear what security measures will be taken to prevent this from happening again or even worse, inside the venue with more people.”

Insomniac Events and Beverly Hills-based event promoter Live Nation, which is a partner in Insomniac Events and also books events at The Gorge Amphitheatre, have yet to respond to a request for comment on increased safety measures at forthcoming Insomniac festivals.

Kevin Boyle, an attorney for the Escamilla and Ruiz families, said in a statement to the Southern California News Group that the situation is currently being investigated and the big question is how a gun made its way onto the grounds. Washington authorities said they responded to shots fired at around 8:30 p.m. on June 17. The women, and three others, were shot by a fellow concert goer and active duty solider from Joint Base Lewis-McCord in Western Washington. The suspect was wounded, taken to the hospital and was booked on Tuesday for two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and one count of first-degree domestic violence assault, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.