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Image Credit: Trish Badger/imageSPACE / MEGA
Travis Scott will not face criminal charges in connection to the 10 deaths and thousands of injuries that resulted from a crowd rush at the rapper’s 2021 Astroworld music festival. Travis’ attorney, Kent Schaffer, confirmed to HollywoodLife in a statement Thursday that a Texas Grand Jury cleared him of any wrongdoing after convening on Thursday, June 29. “The grand jury declined to indict Travis today and for that we are incredibly grateful,” he said in the statement. “We have believed in Travis’s innocence since the first day and today the grand jury agreed. For the last year and a half Travis has been denied many sponsorships, endorsements, and concert opportunities because possible criminal charges have been hanging over his head. Now he is free to perform and resume his career without the threat of prosecution.”
Travis Scott performs at Astroworld Festival in 2019 (Photo: Trish Badger/imageSPACE / MEGA)
In a separate statement provided to TMZ, Schaffer again reiterated this his client was clared of wrongdoing. “My client Travis Scott will not be charged with criminal charges or any wrongdoing for his involvement with AstroWorld festival,” he told the outlet. “Today’s decision by the Harris County District Attorney confirms what we have known all along – that Travis Scott is not responsible for the AstroWorld tragedy. This is consistent with investigative reporting by numerous media outlets and federal and state government reports that have squarely placed the onus for event safety crises on organizers, operators and contractors – not performers,” Kent added. “While waiting patiently for the District Attorney’s decision to not file charges, Travis Scott has been inaccurately and wrongly singled out, despite stopping the show three separate times and being unaware of the events as they were unfolding. Now that this chapter is closed, we hope for the government efforts to focus on what is most important – stopping future heartbreaking tragedies like AstroWorld from ever occurring again.”
The tragedy took place on Nov. 5, 2021 in Houston, Texas, where more than 50,000 fans gathered outside to see the 32-year-old “SICKO MODE” rapper. Even before his set began, dozens of attendees rushed the stage. Once Travis took the stage, the issue got worse. “The crowd became tighter and tighter, and at that point it was hard to breathe. When Travis came out performing his first song, I witnessed people passing out next to me,” a 20-year-old concertgoer named TK Tellez, 20, told CNN at the time. “We were all screaming for help, and no one helped or heard us. It was horrifying. People were screaming for their lives, and they couldn’t get out.”
Travis reportedly performed for 40 minutes, which is less than what was advertised. As Kent pointed out, Travis paused the show to seek help for distressed fans and then continued on. Both Travis and the festival’s security team were highly criticized by fans for not doing more. Some fans even accused security of ignoring them when they called for the show to be stopped.
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Following the incident, the father of two took to social media to express his deepest condolences to the victims and their families. “I’m absolutely devastated by what took place last night. My prayers go out to the families all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival,” the “Ring Ring” rapper began in a statement shared on Twitter. “Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life,” he continued. “I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need. Thank you to Houston PD, Fire Department and NRG Park for their immediate response and support. Love You All”
Travis Scott resumed live performances in May 2022 (Photo: KEN MURRAY/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
In his first interview following the disaster, Travis said he had no idea the situation was so bad. “Anytime you hear something like that, you want to stop the show,” he told Charlamagne Tha God. “You want to make sure fans get the proper attention they need. Anytime I could see anything like that, I did [stop]. I stopped it a couple of times to just make sure everybody was okay. I just really go off the fans’ energy as a collective — call and response. I just didn’t hear that [this time].”
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Travis’ ex and the mother of his two kids, Kylie Jenner, was in attendance at the show with their daughter Stormi Webster and Kylie’s sister Kendall Jenner. The makeup mogul, 25, also shared a statement online regarding the heartbreaking situation. “Travis and I are broken and devastated. My thoughts and prayers are with all who lost their lives, were injured or affected in any way by yesterday’s events,” she penned in an Instagram post. “And also for Travis who I know cares deeply for his fans and the Houston community, I want to make it clear we weren’t aware of any fatalities until the news came out after the show, and in no world would have continued filming or performing.”
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