A Texas grand jury decided that famous singer Travis Scott will not face criminal charges over a 2021 crowd rush during his Astroworld concert that led to the deaths of 10 people and left thousands injured.
It determined the artist was not responsible for the crowd surge. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said Thursday’s verdict came after 19 months of investigation into the tragedy at the November 2021 festival. “Our investigators and prosecutors gave it everything they had to ensure that the grand jury could reach the truth,” Ogg said, according to Reuters.
A Texas grand jury decides that Travis Scott is not responsible for the Astroworld tragedy. pic.twitter.com/nRVWUw4Wc0
— E! News (@enews) June 30, 2023
Scott faced backlash and heavy criticism after the incident. Several fans and outlets noted that he continued to perform while the crowd rushed the stage. Thousands of fans were crushed and trampled during the incident, and the concert security’s response was heavily scrutinized. Five others were charged in relation to the Astroworld crowd surge, including Live Nation festival manager Brent Silberstein, who was also cleared of all criminal charges, according to Reuters.
Scott’s attorney, Kent Schaffer, issued the following statement to the press.
“Now that this chapter is closed, we hope for the government efforts to focus on what is most important — stopping future heartbreaking tragedies like Astroworld from ever occurring again,” he said, according to Reuters.
Silberstein’s lawyer Christopher Downey also provided a comment, saying, “Brent did everything they could to run a safe festival.”
A Texas grand jury decides that Travis Scott is not responsible for the Astroworld tragedy. pic.twitter.com/nRVWUw4Wc0
— E! News (@enews) June 30, 2023
The plaintiffs alleged Scott, Live Nation and more than two dozen other defendants knowingly permitted the crowd to exceed capacity while being aware of the risks involved in doing so, but proceeded in an effort to make the concert appear to be packed.(RELATED: REPORT: Travis Scott Punches Sound Engineer, Damages Equipment)
At least 4,900 fans were injured, some with serious, life-altering injuries. The 10 deaths were later revealed to have been caused by compressive asphyxiation, according to Reuters. Scott is still facing civil litigation from the families of some of the victims.