By Diana Dasrath and Minyvonne Burke -
NBC News
Rapper Travis Scott attended a party at Dave & Buster after his concert at the Astroworld festival in Houston on Friday night, unaware that eight people had died and several dozen were injured during his concert, according to sources close to Scott. .
"Travis was unaware of the seriousness of the situation when he arrived at the party, as to the timing of this, it is consistent with the fact that no one, not even the police, had publicly confirmed the severity of the events that occurred." the sources indicated in an email.
"When someone at Dave & Buster told Travis about the tragedy, he immediately left the party,"
which was hosted by rapper Drake, who appeared at the concert as a surprise guest.
Authorities noted that "the audience began to gather in front of the stage around 9:15 pm local time. About 50,000 people were at the festival at NRG Park, at an event organized by Scott.
Rapper Travis Scott performs at the Astroworld festival in Houston, Texas on November 5, 2021. Amy Harris / Amy Harris / Invision / AP
"That caused some panic and started causing some injuries," Houston Fire Department Chief Samuel Peña told a news conference.
"People began to fall, to become unconscious, and that caused more panic," he added.
"They were stepping on them"
Alleighya Odom, 21, one of the festival goers described the feeling of being trapped in the crowd "as a force on my back, a continuous force."
[Over a dozen lawsuits filed against rapper Travis Scott over deadly tragedy at Astroworld festival]
"It was really scary, like, really
," Odom said.
"I began to look around me and there were people on the ground. There were people looking at me, scared, with a wild look, as if saying 'please help me'. There were people behind my back who were crying because they were being stepped on," said the young woman. .
Odom said Scott stopped his concert several times to ask for help from the audience.
Videos shared on social media show him pausing the show, and
The Houston Chronicle
reported that he stopped the show several times after he spotted members of the audience near the stage in distress.
However, other people who attended the festival complained to Scott on social media for not canceling the concert.
Peña stated on
NBC's
Today
show that everyone, "starting with the artist," has responsibility during shows.
Peña added that there is evidence that some people approached the private security guards Scott hired to warn them of the situation.
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A video shared on social networks shows how a festival attendee asks a cameraman to stop the event, but the show continued.
"There was a moment when an ambulance tried to push its way through the crowd.
And he has, the artist has the power to command the public," Peña said.
"The artist, if he realizes that something is happening, he can certainly stop the show, turn on the lights and say, 'Hey, we're not going to continue until this is resolved.' That's one way of doing things, yeah "he added.
["As if an elevator fell on us": concert goers in Houston describe the chaos that left 8 dead]
Sources close to Scott said he "was at least 50 yards from the camera operator and did not hear pleas for him to stop the show."
Scott's girlfriend Kylie Jenner, who is pregnant with her second baby and was at the concert, also defended him.
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"I want to make it clear that we were not aware of any fatality until the news was released after the show and in no way had we continued filming or singing," he said in a post on Instagram.
Eight people between the ages of 14 and 27 died and another 25 were taken to hospitals.
In all, more than 300 received medical attention at the concert venue, according to officials.
In an update on his investigation, Houston Police Department Chief Troy Finner on Wednesday denied rumors that a security guard had been drugged with a syringe,
when in fact he was hit in the head and lost consciousness
. awoke shortly after in a medical services tent.
The guard said he does not believe he was injected with a substance, according to Finner.
