Nearly two years after the Astroworld tragedy, Travis Scott has learned that he will not be indicted on criminal charges as a result of the unfortunate deaths of 10 festival-goers who died due to a crowd surge. The incident took place in Houston in November 2021. The youngest victim was just 9 years old. Scott apologized immediately and shared his remorse. But victims’ families still sued over their losses, and the suits have been settled. Security concerns, the venue being overpacked, and improper planning are two factors that were reported that could have contributed to the chaos.
Kent Schaffer, Scott’s lawyer, confirmed that the grand jury decided Scott was not responsible nor liable for the events that occurred. “He never encouraged people to do anything that resulted in other people being hurt,” Schaffer said in a statement. He says the ruling is a “a great relief ” for Scott.
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After the event, Scott took to Twitter to share his sadness, writing, “I am absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival. Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.”ย
There has been an investigation into whether Scott, the festival promoter Live Nation, and security had proper security measures in place. “But Travis is not responsible,” Schaffer added. “Bringing criminal charges against him will not ease their pain.”
Regarding the victims, the official cause of death was classified as compression asphyxia, which an expert likened to being crushed by a car. According to the Associated Press, most people who die in crowd surges suffocate. They weren’t the only ones hurt. An estimated 300 additional attendees were injured and treated at the scene, while 25 were taken to hospitals.
