Probes launched, lawsuit filed at Astroworld stampede

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HOUSTON – At least two investigations and a civil lawsuit were ongoing Sunday over rap star Travis Scott’s deadly stampede during the Astroworld music festival that killed at least eight people and injured dozens in Houston.

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Two of the victims were teenagers, ages 14 and 16, caught up in the crushing crowd wave as Scott continued to perform, completing his set even after noticing fans were receiving medical treatment. Scott, the lead actor and local star who founded the Astroworld festival in 2018, later said he was unaware of the seriousness of the situation.

Houston City Police Chief Troy Finner said his department had opened a criminal investigation by homicide and narcotics detectives, following reports that someone in the audience had been injecting drugs into people.

A security guard felt a prick in his neck, fainted and was revived after being injected with Narcan, a drug used to treat opioid overdoses, Finner said. Several others were treated with Narcan, according to the city’s fire chief, Samuel Peña.

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Harris County Judge Lina Hildago also called for an “objective and independent” investigation of the rap festival that was attended by 50,000 people.

“Perhaps the plans were inadequate. Perhaps the plans were good, but they were not followed, ”said Hildago. “The families of those who died, all those affected, deserve answers.”

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also called for a briefing from all parties, including first responders, concert promoter Live Nation, and venue officials, NRG Park.

The first lawsuit in the case has been filed. Manuel Souza, who suffered “serious bodily injury” on the show, is seeking at least $ 1 million in damages from a large number of defendants, including Scott and Live Nation, according to a petition filed in Harris County District Court.

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Neither representatives for Scott nor Live Nation immediately responded to requests for comment Sunday night.

The victims died near the stage as the crowd rushed forward, and some suffered cardiac arrest and other medical trauma, authorities said.

The dead were between 14 and 27 years old, and the age of a victim remains to be determined, Turner said. Officials had yet to identify them, but some details emerged in the media.

The Houston Chronicle identified the youngest victim as John Hilgert, a high school freshman who played soccer and baseball and arrived early to get a good spot to watch the show.

It was with a 15-year-old friend, the Chronicle reported, citing an interview with the friend’s mother, Tracy Faulkner. She bought her son his ticket as a birthday present, a decision she now regrets, the Chronicle said.

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“They were both in the same place at the same time and one came home and one we will never see,” Faulkner said.

“John was a good student and athlete and very educated. He was the sweetest and smartest young man, ”he said.

The Chronicle identified another victim as Danish Baig, 27, who died trying to protect her fiancé from the crowd, according to Baig’s younger brother, Basil Mirza Baig.

“I lost my brother,” Basil Mirza Baig said through tears. “I was trying to save her from the stampede.”

The second day of the two-day program was canceled.

The problems began shortly after 9 p.m. Friday when the crowd compressed near the stage, causing panic, Peña said. By 9:30 p.m., it was clear that people needed medical attention, and Scott acknowledged that an ambulance was moving through the crowd, stopping and encouraging the crowd to make room.

But Scott performed again, telling the crowd that he wanted to “hear the ground shake.”

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At some point, concert goers approached the stage crew and pleaded with them to stop the show, according to the social media video.

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Scott finished his presentation at 9:42 p.m., the Chronicle reported.

Scott, a Grammy-nominated singer and producer, said in a video posted to social media late Saturday: “I couldn’t imagine the seriousness of the situation.”

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