Houston Police Chief Troy Finner reportedly visited Travis Scott in his trailer to warn him of the dangers of continuing with the show, prior to his set at the 2021 Astroworld Festival, according to the New York Times. Scott continued with the festival and a crowd surge ensued, resulting in the deaths of eight concertgoers. Among those who died were two teenagers, ages 14 and 16.
Pending investigations, Finner declined to confirm whether the private conversation took place.
Fire Chief Samuel Peña said that a degree of the onus is on Scott, as the performer, for not pausing the show.
“The one person who can really call for and get a tactical pause when something goes wrong is that performer. They have that bully pulpit and they have a responsibility,” Peña told the Times in a telephone interview on Sunday. “If somebody would have said, ‘Hey, shut this thing down and turn on the lights until this thing gets corrected’ — and that coming from the person with the mic — I think could have been very helpful.”
The Houston Police and Fire Departments are investigating the festival, something Scott said he is cooperating with in a statement over the weekend.
[Via]
