HOUSTON — The shock and grief continue as people look for answers after eight people died and hundreds were injured during the Travis Scott concert at the Astroworld Festival Friday night.
What we know right now
Here is the latest information as of Monday morning:
- The eight concertgoers who died Friday night were officially identified Monday morning.
- Travis Scott and Astroworld Festival organizers have been hit with a lawsuit over the tragedy.
- Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee says he is representing the family of Axel Avila Acosta, one of the victims who died, as well as 10 other concertgoers.
- A petition was started to have Travis Scott removed from the Day N Vegas and Coachella music festivals.
- After Astroworld, Travis Scott's past performances are now coming under scrutiny.
- The victims were remembered during a prayer vigil in downtown Houston on Sunday night.
- ICU nurse described passing out in crowd surge at Astroworld Festival and then helping others.
Here is the latest on what we know about the eight concertgoers who died.
The ages of those victims are 14, 16, 20, 21, 21, 23, 23 and 27.
They have been identified as:
- John Hilgert, 14, a ninth-grade student at Memorial High School in Spring Branch ISD
- Brianna Rodriguez, 16, who was a student at Houston Heights High School
- Jake Jurinek, 20, of Naperville, Ill., a student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
- Franco Patino, 21, of Naperville, Ill., a senior at the University of Dayton
- Axel Acosta Avila, 21, of Tieton, Wash.
- Rudy Peña, 23, of Laredo, Texas, a college student
- Madison, Dubiski, 23, of Cypress, Texas
- Danish Baig, 27, of Colleyville, Texas
What happened at Astroworld Festival?
Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña said events started to really escalate at about 9:30 p.m. when a crowd surge took place during Travis Scott's performance. He said hundreds of people were injured during this time.
A total of 25 people had to be hospitalized. Eight died, 13 remain hospitalized, and as of Saturday afternoon, four had been discharged. One of the individuals who remain hospitalized is a 10-year-old who is still in critical condition, officials confirmed.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said he knows there are a lot of narratives being circulated around about what caused the deaths of these eight individuals, but at this time, this incident is still a very active investigation and the cause of death will be determined by a medical examiner.
Finner admitted to one of the narratives being investigated is that drugs were being injected into festivalgoers. Finner said he and his department are looking into a report of a security guard becoming unconscious after being pricked by a needle. The security guard was attempting to grab someone when he felt the prick and went down. A medical team had to administer Narcan to the security guard who then regained consciousness. He was examined and there was a prick mark found on his neck, Finner said.
This incident remains a very active investigation.
What is a crowd surge?
A crowd surge is when individuals in a large group make a sudden or rapid movement within a confined space, sometimes resulting in people being shoved or even trampled.
It's different from a stampede, in which individuals move toward a single direction, often in a state of panic or confusion.
Crowd surges and stampedes are not a rare occurrence at large concerts but can be dangerous, especially when a person who has been injured goes unnoticed by other attendees or the injured person can't get medical help.
Sometimes injuries can be fatal.
One of the most tragic crowd surge incidents in the U.S. happened during a The Who concert in 1979. Eleven people died and about two dozen others injured as a hoard of fans rushed an entrance at Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum.
Lawsuits filed against Travis Scott and Astroworld Festival organizers
Travis Scott and Astroworld Festival organizers have been hit with a lawsuit over the tragedy.
In the wake of Friday night’s tragic mass casualty incident at the Astroworld Festival, the first known lawsuit came down less than 24 hours later.
Attorney Ryan Macleod and Tommy Kherkher are part of the Kherkher Garcia Law Firm that's representing a 35-year-old concertgoer who was trampled.
“Our victim was crushed – plain and simple,” Kherkher said.
Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee says he is representing the family of Axel Acosta Avila, who was crushed and killed at the Astroworld concert Friday night.
The Houston lawyer said Acosta had just turned 21 and was from Tieton, Wash.
Buzbee also said he’s representing more than 10 other concertgoers who were injured when the crowd surged inside NRG Park.
Witnesses describe their experiences during the Astroworld crowd surge
A Houston ICU nurse shared her terrifying story from the festival on social media.
Madeline Eskins says she jumped into action to help because security guards were overwhelmed when people started passing out.
She says she and her boyfriend were near the front of the stage as Travis Scott was performing and the crowd began surging.
The 23-year-old says it felt like she was “drowning in people.” She says she was so crammed in that she literally could not raise her arms. She was feeling pressure from every direction.
Three friends from out of state said they witnessed the chaos. Stephen Gutierrez, who came from New York for the show, was in the thick of the crowd.
Angel Colon from Orlando, Florida, and Kevin Rosario from Atlantic City, New Jersey, were with Gutierrez at the show.
“In the front, there was a lot of jumping,” Colon said. “If you didn’t jump, you would fall and get trampled on, definitely. The crowd is pushing back and forth. If you were even a little tired, you were going to fall.”
“People don’t understand you have limits,” Rosario added. “If you feel at one point, you see something that’s not right, you’re leaning down, don’t be Superman. Please just take it on yourself to live another day.”