(Lead image via Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images)
A new report from CNN reveals that Travis Scott will not be facing criminal charges for the crowd surge that happened at the Astroworld music festival in 2021. The tragedy left 10 attendees dead with hundreds of others injured.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced that the Texas grand jury also decided not to charge others that were connected, such as chief of security John Junnell and festival director Brett Silberstein, who were part of the police investigation.
“In this instance, the grand jury of the 228th District Court of Harris County found that no crime did occur, that no single individual was criminally responsible,” Ogg said.
Ogg continued saying, “It is tragic that 10 innocent people were killed while trying to enjoy an evening of music and entertainment, something many of us do routinely and without a second thought to our safety. But a tragedy isn’t always a crime, and not every death is a homicide. This grand jury’s determination has no impact on the many civil lawsuits pending.”
Further investigation by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences reveals that the victims died by “compression asphyxia.” The youngest victim was 9-years-old.
During the incident, it was unclear what Travis Scott witnessed from the stage and whether he was aware of the conditions in the crowd. He continued to perform for nearly an hour after reports of injuries.
The situation prompted officials to declare the concert a “mass casualty event,” but his lawyer stated that he was not informed about the mass casualty declaration until the following morning.
Numerous lawsuits were filed against Travis Scott and the other festival organizers, including Live Nation. The defendants have denied the negligence allegations that accused those involved with the planning and promotion of the festival.
“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,” Scott’s spokesperson Ted Anastasiou told CNN Thursday. “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.”
Travis Scott’s attorney, Kent Schaffer, also spoke to CNN and said, “Criminally speaking there is no case.”
[Travis] is ecstatic. It’s a huge weight that has been removed from his shoulders. He’s looking forward to getting back home after being cleared by the grand jury.
-Kent Schaffer, Travis Scott’s attorney via CNN
The grand jury spoke for six hours and heard testimonies from homicide detectives, according to Schaffer.
Houston Police Department Chief Troy Finner announced on Thursday that the department intends to release the complete criminal offense in the upcoming weeks.
Before the Astroworld incident, Travis Scott was slated to release the Travis Scott x Nike Air Trainer 1 and the ravis Scott x Nike Air Max 1, which Nike ended up postponing after backlash and criticism. The pairs eventually released in May of 2022, leaving many to question Nike’s ethics as 10 were left dead, hundreds were injured, and Travis Scott faced multiple lawsuits.
Yet even with the lives lost and tragedy at hand, the Travis Scott x Nike Air Trainer 1 drop got over 1 Million entries within 30 minutes. Since then, the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low OG has continued to release in multiple colorways including “Black” and “Olive,” with both colorways selling out.
Nice Kicks will continue to update as this case develops. For more sneaker news and release dates, follow @NiceKicks on Instagram.
