30-6-2023 (TEXAS) A grand jury in Harris County, Texas has decided not to indict rap superstar Travis Scott in relation to a criminal investigation into a deadly crowd surge at the Astroworld festival in 2021, according to the rapper’s attorney, Kent Schaffer. While it remains unclear what charges the panel considered, Schaffer confirmed that his client would not be facing criminal charges stemming from the concert, which claimed the lives of 10 festivalgoers aged between nine and 27, and injured a further 300.
The official cause of death was compression asphyxia, which is akin to being crushed by a car. Some festivalgoers were so tightly packed that they were unable to move their arms or even breathe. Houston police and federal officials have been investigating whether Scott, concert promoter Live Nation, and others had sufficient safety measures in place.
While more than 500 lawsuits were filed over the deaths and injuries at Astroworld, many against Live Nation and Scott, some have since been settled. Approximately 50,000 people attended the festival.
Schaffer expressed his sympathy for those killed at the festival and their families, but maintained that Scott was not responsible for the tragedy. “Bringing criminal charges against him will not ease their pain,” he said.
The event operations plan for Astroworld detailed protocols for various dangerous scenarios, including a shooting, bomb or terrorist threat, and severe weather. However, it did not include information on what to do in the event of a crowd surge. Crowd surges have led to similar tragedies around the world, from a soccer stadium in England to the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia to Halloween festivities in the South Korean capital. Most people who die in crowd surges suffocate.
