Grand Jury to Hear Evidence on Travis Scott’s Culpability for Astroworld Tragedy
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A Texas grand jury is meeting Thursday to decide if rapper Travis Scott will face criminal charges related to the 2021 Astroworld crowd crush that left 10 people dead and thousands injured, Reuters reported.
Attorney Kent Schaffer told the news service it was unclear whether the panel would issue its decision on Thursday. The criminal investigation into the tragedy involves not only Scott, but also multiple other people who were involved in planning the November 2021 music festival.
“Nothing Travis did or failed to do fits within the Texas criminal code,” Schaffer told Reuters Thursday.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters. Grand jury proceedings are secret.
The panel will reportedly consider evidence to determine where there is enough to support criminal charges in the widespread investigation of what happened at Astroworld, where the over-capacity crowd pushed forward toward the stage as Scott performed.
He could could face charges that include involuntary manslaughter, assault or disorderly conduct for inciting a riot, legal experts previously told TheWrap.
Among the 10 who died was a 10-year-old boy, who was killed by compressive asphyxiation, Reuters said. At least 25 others were hospitalized, including five under the age of 18. Altogether, nearly 5,000 people were injured, according to lawsuits filed following the melee.
Scott was widely criticized for continuing to perform as the crowd surged toward the stage. He initially issued a statement that said he was “devastated” by the tragedy, and one of his lawyers admitted that there was a “systemic breakdown” at the concert, but claimed that Scott never got world that the police declared a “mass casualty” event even as he continued his act. He later claimed that he learned that people died only minutes before he held a press conference after the show.
The rapper and the companies were hit with hundreds of lawsuits in the wake of the deadly event.
The suits claim Scott, Live Nation and more than two dozen other defendants let too many people into the venue despite knowing the risks because they wanted the concert to appear packed, Reuters reported.
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Live Nation had seen several similar events unfold in the years prior. At least 750 people were injured and 200 people died at events the promotion powerhouse held in the 15 years before Astroworld, and the company paid out millions as a result.
So far, only one family of those killed has settled their suit, for undisclosed terms, Reuters said. The other cases have been consolidated in Texas state court in a process that aims to streamline similar lawsuits.
Attorney Robert Hilliard, who represents the family of the 10-year-old who died, said in a statement Thursday that “both criminal and civil accountability are critical to ensure that those responsible for the loss of innocent lives understand the permanent devastation they caused these families.”
