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(HOUSTON) – It took just a few minutes for a crowd of onlookers to transform into a deadly melee that killed several people during the Astroworld music festival.
Rapper Travis Scott, the founder of the festival, which is named after his 2018 album, continued to perform as several in the audience suffered from medical emergencies.
Ten people died from the chaos after the crowd, filled with 50,000, rushed to the stage during Scott’s set. Dozens more were taken to hospital with injuries.
Scott has a habit of inciting crowds at performances and has been indicted twice in recent years.
Here’s how the Astroworld festival tragedy unfolded:
August 1, 2015
Scott was arrested for instigating a crowd to jump barriers at the Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and paid a fine, officials said.
May 13, 2017
Scott was arrested in Rogers, Arkansas, after urging fans of the Walmart Music Pavilion to walk through barricades and bypass security. He pleaded guilty to misconduct and paid a fine.
November 17, 2018
The first Astroworld festival was held in Scott’s hometown of Houston in the 350-acre NRG Park.
November 9, 2019
A “similar incident” to the influx of crowds took place at the 2019 festival, when fans violated barricades, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo told reporters. Three people were injured and taken to hospital, ABC Houston KTRK station reported at the time.
Nearly 100 additional security guards have been added for this year’s event, Hidalgo said.
October 26
Scott announced the lineup for the 2021 Astroworld Festival, which included performances by Young Thug, SZA, Lil Baby, Earth, Wind & Fire, Master P and 21 Savage.
Friday November 5th
Morning: Spectators started to queue. In the afternoon, people started rushing past security checkpoints and into the site, officials said. More than 1,000 security guards and police were in attendance – an increase from the festival which took place in 2019, according to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
Before 4 p.m.: At least 54 patients had been treated by medical staff, according to a Houston Police Department activity log which also noted unsafe crowd conditions.
Before Scott’s show: There were no performances on the festival’s second stage at the time, according to the event schedule, meaning all 50,000 fans had the opportunity to come together in out of the main stage in time for Scott to perform.
The crowd “began to compress towards the front of the stage,” Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña told reporters. The compact crowd began to take the stage during the countdown to Scott’s performance, an Apple livestream of the event showed.
Around 9 p.m .: Within minutes of Scott’s set start, fans could be seen near the stage struggling to stand. Less than 10 minutes after the start of the show, groups of spectators in the crowd began to show distress, video broadcasts.
21:25: Scott stopped the show for the first time to call attention to someone in the crowd who needed help, saying, “Someone passed out in here,” Apple’s livestream showed. . He then continued his performance but stopped two more times in response to the chaos in the crowd, including once when an ambulance passed by.
Around 9:30 p.m .: Medical staff responded to a person lying unanswered in front of a reserved section, according to the HPD activity log. Concert performer Seanna Faith McCarty climbed onto a camera platform to ask a cameraman for help as the chaos escalated.
San Antonio resident Fatima Munoz, 21, described a “domino effect” that happened: “I fell straight to the ground, and that’s when everyone started to tumble. , and I tried so hard to get up, ”she told ABC News. ‘Start Here’ podcast. “There are just too many people on top of me like these legitimate dogs on me. I was on the floor. No one helped. I tried to scream for my life. I tried to scream for my life. aid.”
9:38 p.m .: Houston police officers and firefighters responded to reports of a massively casualty event at the festival, where people were crushed against the stage and many had already collapsed, according to the Police Activity Log .
9:42 p.m .: Scott stopped the show for the third time to draw attention to someone in the crowd who needed help, Apple’s livestream showed.
A video posted to social media showed security guards lifting a limp body from the crowd.
10:12 p.m .: Scott finished the show and left the stage, the Apple stream showed. Police officials later told the Houston Chronicle that the promoter, Live Nation, had agreed to cut the show short, but Scott continued his set.
Scott’s attorney later told ABC News that Scott didn’t know what was going on in the crowd during the concert.
Some 300 people were treated by medical staff on site, authorities said. 25 others were taken to hospital.
Saturday 6 November
The rest of the festival has been canceled.
Scott posted a statement on Instagram, saying he was “absolutely devastated by what had happened” the night before.
The first lawsuit against Scott was filed in Harris County, Texas.
Thirteen people remained in the hospital, said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
Sunday November 7
Kylie Jenner posted on her Instagram Story that Scott was not aware of any deaths and would not have continued acting if he had known.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said in a statement he previously expressed concerns when he met with Scott and his security chief to discuss the main event.
Monday, November 8
Scott has announced that he will provide full refunds to all attendees who purchased tickets to Astroworld and that he will not be performing at the Day N Vegas Festival this weekend, sources said.
The FBI is providing “certain forms of technical assistance” to investigators in Houston, FBI Director Christopher Wray told a Justice Department press conference on Monday, when interviewed by the Chief Justice correspondent. ABC News, Pierre Thomas, if the office was involved.
The identities of eight of the victims have been disclosed. A vigil of prayer for the victims was held at the Catholic Church of the Annunciation in Houston.
Wednesday, November 9
A ninth victim, Bharti Shahani, 22, died of injuries sustained during the festival, his family said.
A 9-year-old boy who attended the festival with his father is left in critical condition.
Scott and his team also released a new statement: “Over the past week, Travis Scott and his team have actively explored avenues of connection with each family affected by the tragedy through the appropriate liaisons. He is upset by the situation and desperately wish to share their condolences and give them help as soon as possible, but want to remain respectful of each family’s wishes on how they would like to be connected. “
Sunday November 14
The 9-year-old boy who attended the festival with his father died of his injuries at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, The Associated Press reported.
He was placed in a induced coma after sustaining serious injuries to his brain, kidneys and liver as he was run over by other bystanders, family lawyer Ben Crump said.
At least 30 lawsuits have been filed against Scott, the concert producers and the venue.
ABC News’ Meredith Deliso, Jenna Harrison, Bill Hutchinson, Alexander Mallin and Stephanie Wash contributed to this report.
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