Travis Scott.Photo: Erika Goldring/WireImage
A 10-year-old was among those injured in themass casualty eventthat left eight people dead Friday night atTravis Scott’s Astroworld Festival in Houston.
The chaos unfolded at approximately 9:15 p.m., when fans in the crowd of about 50,000 began to rush the stage. Several people were trampled, and there were also reports that some people were injected with drugs.
“One of the narratives was that some individual was injecting people with drugs,” Chief Troy Finner of the Houston Police Department said Saturday at apress conference, noting that a security officer who went unconscious and was revived with Narcan reported feeling a “prick” in his neck that looked similar to a needle injection.
For more on the tragedy at Astroworld, listen below toour daily podcast on People Every Day.
In an interview with CNN, concertgoer Billy Nasserdescribed a scene of chaos and fear. He said “people were just dying left and right,” claiming things “heated up” around 15 minutes after Scott, 29, began his performance and “just progressively got worse.”
Travis Scott performs during 2021 Astroworld Festival.Erika Goldring/WireImage
“People were getting trampled. They were losing their balance and then tripping over people on the floor,” he told the outlet, adding that there was “shoving” in the crowd.
While trying to help one victim, Nasser said he watched his eyes “roll into the back of his head.” He checked his pulse and “knew he was dead.”
“I just had to leave him there,” Nasser explained. “There was nothing I could do. I had to keep going.”
Nasser told CNN that he was “frustrated” when the concert continued despite the chaos on the ground. “I wanted the music to stop and I wanted everyone around me to realize what’s going on. But people didn’t have very much self-awareness. Kids were just going crazy and partying for the festival and they weren’t actually paying attention to the bodies dropping behind them.”
RELATED VIDEO: 2-Year-Old Boy Among 22 People Dead After Ida Batters the Northeast with Record Rain and Tornadoes
Among thosewho diedare a 14-year-old, a 16-year-old, two 21-year-olds, two 23-year-olds, and a 27-year-old. Another victim’s age has not yet been identified. Turner said of the 25 people initially transported to the hospital, 13 remain hospitalized.
Scott addressed the incidentin a statement releasedSaturday morning.
TheUtopiaartist previouslypled guilty to disorderly conductin February 2018, after he was arrested for allegedly inciting a riot at his concert in Arkansas the year before.
source: people.com
