Travis Scott won’t be criminally charged over deadly Astroworld crush, grand jury decides
A Texas grand jury has determined to not indict the rapper Travis Scott over his Astroworld Competition crush, which left 10 useless and 1000’s injured.
The grand jury additionally reportedly determined to not indict others concerned within the competition’s planning together with its chief of safety John Junnell and competition director Brett Silberstein.
“On this occasion, the grand jury of the 228th District Courtroom of Harris County discovered that no crime did happen, that no single particular person was criminally accountable,” District Lawyer Kim Ogg introduced Thursday (29 June).
“Whereas ready patiently for the District Lawyer’s choice to not file prices, Travis Scott has been inaccurately and wrongly singled out, regardless of stopping the present three separate occasions and being unaware of the occasions as they had been unfolding,” Scott’s spokesperson Ted Anastasiou informed CNN.
“Now that this chapter is closed, we hope for the federal government efforts to deal with what’s most vital – stopping future heartbreaking tragedies like Astroworld from ever occurring once more.”
“Criminally talking there isn’t a case,” Scott’s lawyer, Kent Schaffer informed CNN by cellphone.
Schaffer added that Scott was “ecstatic” to listen to of the jury’s choice. “It’s an enormous weight that has been faraway from his shoulders. He’s trying ahead to getting again dwelling after being cleared by the grand jury,” Schaffer mentioned.
Reuters first reported Thursday that prosecutors had been presenting proof to grand jurors and ask them whether or not there’s possible trigger to assist legal prices.
(Getty Photos for MRC)
The probe stemmed from a deadly surge of followers at Astroworld in Houston, the place 1000’s had been injured when the over-capacity crowd pressed ahead as Scott took the stage. 10 individuals had been killed by compressive asphyxiation, together with a 10-year-old boy.
The tragedy unleashed a wave of litigation in opposition to Scott and the competition’s organizers, together with leisure large Dwell Nation, which merged with Ticketmaster in 2010.
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The plaintiffs alleged that Scott, Dwell Nation and greater than two dozen different defendants let too many individuals into the venue regardless of figuring out the dangers as a result of they needed the live performance to look packed.
At the least 4,900 followers had been injured, in line with legal professionals representing victims in lawsuits in opposition to Scott and the organizers.
The instances had been consolidated in Texas state courtroom in a course of often called multidistrict litigation, which streamlines adjudication of comparable lawsuits.
The household of one of many individuals killed settled on undisclosed phrases with Scott, Dwell Nation and others in October 2022.
Different lawsuits stay pending, together with a case introduced by the household of the 10-year-old boy who was killed.
Lawyer Robert Hilliard, who represents that household, mentioned in an announcement Thursday that “each legal and civil accountability are essential to make sure that these accountable for the lack of harmless lives perceive the everlasting devastation they precipitated these households.”
Further reporting by Reuters
