Major update in Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival deaths as Kylie Jenner’s ex learns whether he will face charges
A GRAND jury has declined to file criminal charges against rapper Travis Scott over the 2021 Astroworld tragedy.
The ruling by a Texas grand jury comes nearly two years after the Astroworld festival disaster in Houston left 10 concert-goers dead and hundreds more injured.
A crowd of 50,000 showed up for the two-day event on November 5, 2021, in NRG Park in Houston.
Houston police said the crowd began to compress towards the front of the stage while Scott was performing, sparking panic.
Footage from the scene showed concert-goers shouting at the rapper and his team on stage to stop the show because it was difficult to move and breathe.
Emergency medical vehicles were seen driving through the crowd to reach people needing assistance.
Read more in The U.S. Sun
Nearly 2,400 others needed medical treatment following the deadly stampede
Ten people were killed by compressive asphyxiation, including a nine-year-old boy.
The victims were identified as John Hilgert, 14, Franco Patino, 21, Jake Jurinek, 20, Danish Baig, 27, Brianna Rodriguez, 16, Axel Acosta, 21, Rudy Peña, 23, Madison Dubiski, 23, Bharti Shahani, 22, and Ezra Blount, nine.
Those who tragically lost their lives include John Hilgert, 14, Franco Patino, 21, Jake Jurinek, 20, Danish Baig, 27, Brianna Rodriguez, 16, Axel Acosta, 21, Rudy Peña, 23, Madison Dubiski, 23, Bharti Shahani, 22, and Ezra Blount, nine.
Most read in The US Sun
Nearly 2,400 other concertgoers needed medical treatment following the deadly incident.
Day after the tragic event, Scott expressed how devastated he was and said he was praying for the victims' families.
"Praying for the families and everyone impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival," he said in an Instagram live video at the time.
'UNAWARE OF DEATHS'
In an interview with Charlamagne Tha God, Scott told the radio host that he only learned of the deaths just “minutes before the press conference” held by local cops.
"It gets so hard because, you know, I always feel connected with my fans. I went through something, and I feel like fans went through something, and people’s parents went through something.
"And it really hurts. It hurts the community, it hurts the city," he said.
“It’s been a lot of thoughts, a lot of feelings, a lot of grieving,” the rapper said. “Just trying to wrap my head around it.
"I really just want to be there. Wish you could just hold everyone, talk to them, have conversations.”
“It hurts,” he added.
During the hour-long sitdown with Charlamagne Tha God, Scott was asked why the concert continued for another 40 minutes after officials declared it was a mass casualty event.
“They told me, right after the guests get on stage, we’re gonna end the show. And that’s what we did. Other than that, there was no communication," Scott said.
“They didn’t say, 'Stop now?'” Charlamagne Tha God asked.
“No,” Scott replied.
Scott was also quizzed about enticing rage culture at his concerts and if it contributed to the tragedy.
“Nah, it’s something I’ve been working on for a while of just creating these experiences… as artists, we trust professionals to make sure that if things happen, people leave safely,” he said.
“In concerts, we’ve grown it to be an experience of having fun, not harm. It’s about letting go and having fun.”
Scott also admitted he felt some responsibility over the devastating tragedy.
"I have a responsibility to figure out what happened here. I have a responsibility to figure out the solution," he said.
Read More on The US Sun
"Hopefully, this takes a first step for us as artists, having more insight about what’s going on."
Scott previously offered to pay for all the victims' funerals, but some families rejected it.
