Global Courant
A Texas grand jury determined rapper Travis Scott was not criminally responsible for the crowd that killed ten people and injured thousands more at his 2021 Astroworld music festival, authorities announced Thursday.
The Harris County grand jury weighed and dismissed criminal charges against Scott and five other people related to the deaths of fans, District Attorney Kim Ogg said at a news conference this afternoon.
“It is tragic that 10 innocent people were killed trying to enjoy an evening of music and entertainment, something many of us do routinely and without thinking about our safety. But a tragedy is not always a crime, and not every death is a murder,” Ogg said in a statement. “The determination of this grand jury has no bearing on the many pending civil trials.”
Ten people were killed on November 5, 2021 at Houston’s NRG Park, including 9-year-old Ezra Blount, as a crowd of about 50,000 began to crowd the stage. The other victims were between the ages of 14 and 27. They all died of compression asphyxia.
Nearly 2,400 people required medical treatment.
Travis Scott on the “The Idol” red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival on May 22.Samir Hussein / WireImage via Getty Images file
Scott’s attorney Kent Schaffer said that Scott and his actions are inaccurately depicted, adding that Scott stopped the show three times and was unaware of events as they unfolded.
“Today’s decision by the Harris County District Attorney confirms what we’ve known all along — that Travis Scott is not responsible for the AstroWorld tragedy,” Schaffer said in a statement. “This is consistent with investigative reports by numerous media outlets and reports from the federal and state government that have placed responsibility for event safety crises on organizers, operators and contractors – not performers.”
Robert Hilliard, an attorney for Ezra Blount’s family, said in a statement Thursday that the family was disappointed.
“There is clear culpability and grossly negligent conduct committed by these various civilian defendants leading directly to deaths and serious injuries,” Hilliard said. While the grand jury disappointedly declined to find that this conduct was criminal, Ezra Blount’s family will go ahead and await their day in court. A Harris County jury, who once got a chance to see the damning evidence that led to to causing this tragedy, we will return a record Texas verdict against these defendants.
Attorney Kevin Haynes, whose firm Kherkher Garcia LLP is representing hundreds of those injured at the concert, said they are “incredibly disappointed” with the outcome but will continue to work “to ensure responsible parties are held accountable in the continued pursuit of justice .”
After the festival, which Scott hosted, he said in a video that he couldn’t have imagined the “seriousness of the situation” at the concert in Houston.
“I’m really devastated,” Scott said on Instagram.
Him later spoke to radio host Charlamagne Tha God, who said: “At the end of the day, these fans are like family, so you feel like you’ve just lost something. You do these shows, honestly, so people have the best experience.
Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed accusing Scott and the concert organizer, Live Nation, of negligence. Scott issued a “broad denial” of the claims in 2021 and asked to reject multiple suits.
His attorney said Thursday that Scott is ready to look ahead.
“We’re really relieved and grateful that this is over. It’s been a long 18 months for Travis. He’s missed a lot of opportunities,” he said, adding: “So now he’s hopefully free to move on with his career and resume some of these things he did before.”
