HOUSTON -- Houston's police chief Wednesday said that investigators have not been provided with any clear evidence by the organizers of Astroworld's music festival about private security personnel who were on the ground when there was a huge crowd surge at the set by Travis Scott. This led to at least eight deaths.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner stated that it was Live Nation Entertainment, the promoter of the event, who secured two mosh pits in front the stage at Friday's sold-out festival attended by 50,000 people. While he acknowledged that the organizers had given him staffing records, he stressed that he wasn't blaming anyone.
Five days later, key questions remain unanswered. The tragedy left hundreds of concertgoers hurt, with at least two still in critical condition. Finner claimed that police instructed organizers to stop the performance after CPR was administered to the crowd. He refused to give a timeline, leaving it unclear when that order was issued and how long the show continued after being given.
"When you speak of authority and the ability to end the show we don't take the plug. He said that it was always in the plan and there is always a discussion about how it would happen. "We had those conversations with the promoters."
Scott's lawyers pointed out Wednesday that an operational plan was created for the event. It states that only Travis and the festival director can stop the show.
Attorney Edwin F. McPherson stated in a statement that "investigations should begin proceeding over finger-pointing" so that together we can identify exactly the circumstances and how we can prevent it from happening again.
Finner also defended the criminal investigation department's abilities to handle it on its own. He rejected calls for an external probe and stated that he had no close relationship with Scott. Scott is from Houston and started the festival.
Finner stated that he had expressed safety concerns to Scott prior to the Friday night show, but did not go into details. He stated that he had only spoken to Scott once.
Finner stated that he had no reason for believing that the flight would be unsafe. "But I'm the type of chief that I meet people whenever I can," Finner said. We had a short, respectful conversation about my concerns.
Finner spoke to reporters only the second time after the tragedy . He was defensive at times, and he criticised what he called speculation and rumors surrounding the events.
Finner reports that the festival saw approximately 530 Houston police officers working the event, which is more than twice the number of festival goers in 2019. He reiterated his concern that the investigation was still in its early stages and denied that he would "put blame" on any organisation.
Scott was represented by another attorney, Todd Mensing. He said that Scott only learned about deaths and injuries in the crowd after the show. The Wall Street Journal
Two concertgoers were still in critical condition on Wednesday. Officials have not released details about the patients who were hospitalized after Friday's concert. However, the boy's family, who was there with his father, has stated that the child is in a medically-induced coma following injuries to his brain, heart and lungs.
"How did it happen?" "That is a question that we all still think about," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner stated earlier Wednesday. "How did it happen?" What were the mistakes? What were the successes? Where were the failures? "We owe it all to our family, all those who attended, and to the entire city. How did this happen?
Turner read the names of the eight victims , before he paused a City Council meeting to observe a moment silence. According to authorities, the victims were between 14 and 27 years old and were from Texas, Illinois, and Washington.
Finner stated that there is no evidence that any security guard was aware of the injections.
Scott's performance on the festival grounds and stage are still being disassembled by authorities. Attorneys representing the injured and their families also continued to search the area. The festival took place on NRG Park's parking lot, which includes a stadium, arena, and convention center.
Bernon Blount stated that his son and nine-year-old grandson Ezra attended the festival together, but were separated by the crowd surge. On Tuesday, he said that the child was in an intubated medically at a Houston hospital.
Blount stated, "I'm angry because this has disrupted my family, and it could have been avoided had people in power done the right thing,"
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that a task force was being formed to create concert safety recommendations. He said that this would "ensure that the tragedy at the Astroworld Festival does not happen again."
Experts believe that crowd surge deaths occur when people are packed so tightly that they don't have enough oxygen. They are not being trampled.
