A Texas grand jury on Thursday declined to indict rap superstar Travis Scott in a criminal investigation of a deadly crowd surge at the 2021 Astroworld festival, where some spectators were packed so tightly they could not move their arms or breathe.
Lawyer Kent Schaffer confirmed that the Harris County grand jury had met and decided not to indict his client on any criminal charges from the concert.
Mr Schaffer said he was not sure what charges the panel had considered.
“He never encouraged people to do anything that resulted in other people being hurt,” Mr Schaffer said, adding that the decision was “a great relief".
The November 5, 2021, crowd surge in Houston killed 10 young festival-goers who ranged in age from 9 to 27.
The official cause of death was compression asphyxia, which an expert likened to being crushed by a car.
About 300 people were injured and treated at the scene, and 25 were taken to hospitals.
Houston police and federal officials have been investigating whether Scott, concert promoter Live Nation and others had adequate safety measures in place.
Mr Schaffer said he felt sympathy for those who were killed at the festival and their families.
“But Travis is not responsible,” he said. “Bringing criminal charges against him will not ease their pain.”
More than 500 lawsuits were filed over the deaths and injuries at the concert, including many against Live Nation and Scott.
Some have since been settled. About 50,000 people attended the festival.
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Hannah Longoria leaves flowers as people visit a makeshift memorial on Sunday at the NRG Park grounds, in Houston, Texas, where eight people died in a crowd surge at the Astroworld Festival. AFP -
Local high school friends who attended the Travis Scott concert, Isaac Hernandez and Matthias Coronel, both 17, watch Jesus Martinez sign a remembrance board at the memorial. AFP -
Bryanna Morales, 17, injured in the accident, is held by her mother Elma Morales at the makeshift memorial. Morales says she was knocked down twice and injured her foot during the concert. AFP -
Bryanna Morales, 17, shows a video of the crowd surge that killed eight at the festival. She says the medical staff were not properly trained. "I was taken into the medical tent because I was having a hard time breathing and all they did was hand me a bottle of water and told me to sit in the corner." AFP -
A woman lights a candle at the memorial. Authorities in Texas opened a criminal investigation into the festival accident. AFP -
About 50,000 people were in the audience at NRG Park on Friday night when the crowd started pushing toward the stage as Scott was performing, triggering chaotic scenes. AFP -
Family members and friends have begun to share accounts of their loved ones with journalists and through social media. AFP -
Reverend Paul Felix leads a prayer vigil held for the victims of the Astroworld crowd surge, at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Houston. AFP -
Reverend Paul Felix walks down the aisle to begin a prayer vigil held for the victims of the Astroworld crowd surge, at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Houston. AFP -
Jim McIngvale, also known as Mattress Mack, looks on during a prayer vigil held for the victims of the Astroworld crowd surge. AFP -
A visitor writes a note at the memorial. AFP -
Visitors look at the memorial. AFP -
Candles are seen outside the venue of the canceled Astroworld festival. AFP -
Items of memorial outside the venue of the cancelled Astroworld festival. AFP -
Mayor Sylvester Turner speaks about the cancellation of the Astroworld festival in Houston, Texas. AFP
A 56-page event operations plan for the event had detailed protocols for various dangerous scenarios including a shooting, bomb or terrorist threats and severe weather.
But it did not include information on what to do in the event of a crowd surge.
Similar crushes have happened all over the world, from the 1989 Hillsborough football stadium in England that killed 97 fans, to Halloween festivities in the South Korean capital Seoul in October 2022, where at least 159 died.
Most people who die in crowd surges suffocate.
