On Thursday, a Texas grand jury declined to indict rapper Travis Scott and five others in connection with the 2021 Astroworld concert surge that killed 10 people and injured hundreds.
In addition to Scott, the grand jury declined to charge festival manager Brent Silberstein, three Live Nation employees, and John Junell, senior director of global security operations for Live Nation. The Houston Chronicle reported that it is unclear what charges Scott and others were facing, but Scott’s attorney, Kent Schaffer, said the evidence failed to show his client was negligent.
According to the news outlet, the first 911 call was placed five minutes after Scott started his set. Roughly 20 minutes later, people started going to a medical tent near the venue.
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Thirty minutes after Scott’s set started, concertgoers reportedly jumped on a camera platform and pleaded to end the show. Minutes later, Houston police started a show-stop procedure in an attempt to handle the crowd surge which left many concertgoers unable to move.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Scott’s lawyer said Scott first learned of any issues when someone told him in his headset to play his closing song as soon as Drake leaves the stage.
Video of the frantic scene was posted to social media, including TikTok. Investigators said all of the fatalities occurred at the back right of the stage.
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Despite the grand jury’s decision, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said they still plan to release a 1,200-page report about the mass casualty event. Finner did not say when the report would be released, but he did mention that redactions need to be made, the Houston Chronicle reported.
The Associated Press reported that more than 500 civil lawsuits have been filed in connection with the 2021 crowd surge. Surviving victims, their families and attorneys are barred from publicly speaking out due to an ongoing gag order.
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[Featured image: Travis Scott/YouTube video screengrab]
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