HOUSTON: At least two investigations are underway into Sunday’s stampede during rap star Travis Scott’s Astroworld concert, one of which was a criminal, that killed at least eight people and injured dozens in Houston.
Two of the victims were teenagers, aged 14 and 16, who, when Scott continued to perform, were caught in the crushing boom of the crowd, completing his set even after fans received medical treatment. Scott, the headline act and a hometown star who founded the Astroworld festival in 2018, later said he was unaware of the gravity of the situation.
Houston City Police Chief Troy Finer said his department had launched a criminal investigation by murder and narcotics detectives following reports that someone in the audience was injecting people with drugs.
Finer said a security guard felt a prick on his neck, died, and resurfaced after being injected with Narcan, a drug used to treat opioid overdoses. According to city fire chief Samuel Pea, several others were treated to Narcan.
Harris County Judge Lena Hildago also called for an “objective, independent” investigation into the rap festival, which was attended by 50,000 people.
“Perhaps the plans were inadequate. Maybe the plans were good, but they weren’t followed,” Hildago said. “The families of those who died, everyone affected, deserves an answer.”
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also called for a briefing from all parties, including first responders, concert promoter Live Nation and venue official, NRG Park.
Officials said the victims died near the stage when the crowd moved on, some suffering cardiac arrest and other medical trauma.
Turner said the ages of the dead ranged from 14 to 27, setting the age of one of the victims. Officials were yet to identify him, but some details surfaced in the media.
The Houston Chronicle identified the youngest victim as John Hilgert, a high school freshman who played football and baseball and arrived early to find a good location to watch the show.
He went with a 15-year-old friend, the Chronicle reported, citing an interview with the friend’s mother, Tracy Faulkner. The Chronicle said she bought her ticket for her son as a birthday present, a decision she now regrets.
“They were both in the same place at the same time and one came home and one we would never see,” Faulkner said.
“John was a good student and athlete and was very polite. He was the sweetest and smartest young man,” she said.
According to Baig’s younger brother, Basil Mirza Baig, the Chronicle identified another victim as 27-year-old Danish Baig, who died trying to save his fiancé from the crush of the mob.
Tulsi Mirza Baig said in tears, “I lost my brother. He was trying to save him from the stampede.”
The second day of the two-day show was cancelled.
Pena said the trouble began shortly after 9 p.m. on Friday when the crowd near the stage constricted, causing panic. By 9:30 p.m., it was clear that people needed medical attention, and Scott acknowledged an ambulance moving through the crowd, encouraging the crowd to stop and hold the crowd in place.
But Scott returned to perform, telling the crowd that he wanted to “hear the ground shaking”.
According to the social media video, at some point the concert goers approached the stage crew and requested them to stop the show.
The Chronicle reported that Scott finished his set at 9:42 p.m.
Grammy-nominated singer and producer Scott said in a video posted to social media late Saturday: “I can’t imagine the gravity of the situation.”
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