Travis Scott may face Astroworld as grand jury returns decision
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A grand jury convened Thursday to consider a criminal indictment against rapper Travis Scott and others for the 2021 Astroworld concert deaths, according to two lawyers whose clients are potential targets of the inquiry.
Scott's lawyer, Kent Schaffer, said the grand jury's deliberations ended around 2 p.m. and an a decision had been reached.
The outcome of the grand jury, which Schaffer did not know, would not be made public until the Harris County District Clerk's Office receives the grand jury's paperwork, he said. The looming decision comes 19 months after Scott’s annual festival at NRG Park left 10 people crushed to death and injured hundreds more. It could be close to 5 p.m. before the grand jury's decision is made public.
Prosecutors and Houston police detectives linked to the investigation into the deadly concert were seen going coming and going from a room dedicated to grand jury proceedings in the morning. Scott's lawyer and a defense attorney for the festival manager, Brent Silberstein, periodically stopped by the third floor in the criminal courthouse to check on the grand jury's progress.
ASTROWORLD TRAGEDY: The tragedy at Astroworld Festival: 1 year later
Christopher Downey, who represents Silberstein, said his client is among those facing indictment.
“I don’t know their position on my client or anyone,” Downey said.
Schaffer said he does not believe there is evidence to bring charges against Scott.
ASTROWORLD ONE YEAR LATER: A year after the deadly Astroworld tragedy, not much has changed and public officials aren’t talking
Concertgoers flocked to the stage area minutes after 9 p.m. on Nov. 5, 2021, as the headlining rapper, Scott, started his performance. The concert turned dangerous when the crowd became crammed together. Hundreds couldn’t move and struggled to breathe.
Police radio traffic revealed that officers spotted warning signs of the deadly situation but they struggled for nearly a half hour to assess the full scope of the danger. Within a half hour, as fans fled, authorities realized what had happened.
Several people had been trampled and others were passed out at the front of the stage.
The concert did not end until around 10:10 p.m., about an hour after Scott began his performance.
Whatever the grand jury decides, the presentation of a criminal case by prosecutors shows that the Houston police investigation into the concert has made strides. Local government officials, meanwhile, have made little progress in passing new standards or regulations to change how large events are held, according to a Houston Chronicle report one year after the concert.
A task force appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott published a report on the concert that was riddled with errors.
A gag order from the judge overseeing in the civil litigation has prohibited surviving victims, their families and lawyers from speaking out.
Source: Houston Chronicle
