American rapper Travis Scott will not be prosecuted for the crowd movement that killed ten people during the Astroworld festival he co-organized in Texas in November 2021, judicial authorities announced on Thursday. “No criminal charges will be filed,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg’s office said in a statement.
“It is tragic that ten innocent people were killed when they wanted to enjoy an evening of music and entertainment,” said the prosecutor. But a tragedy is not always a crime and a death is not always a homicide,” she continued. On November 5, 2021, some 50,000 spectators had gathered in NRG Park, in Houston, to attend the concert of Travis Scott, when a stampede had trapped dozens of people. Lacking air and space, some had fainted and been trampled on by the crowd.
Faced with calls for help, the organizers had waited several tens of minutes before stopping the music and evacuating the premises. A nine-year-old child died in the stampede, which also left hundreds injured. Numerous complaints had been lodged against the organizers of the Astroworld festival, accused of not having ensured the safety of the participants. They target Travis Scott, present on stage at the time of the tragedy, the promoters, those responsible for the concert site and several companies associated with the festival. Thursday’s ruling relates to criminal prosecution only, so civil suits are still possible.
