Apparently false fears of a taking pictures at a rap live performance in Rochester, New York, despatched a crowd surging towards the exits, killing one individual and injuring 9 others, police mentioned.
The accidents at Sunday evening’s live performance that includes rappers GloRilla and Finesse2tymes had been brought on by individuals being trampled, Police Chief David M. Smith mentioned at a information briefing Monday. “We should not have any proof of gunshots being fired or of anybody being shot or stabbed on the scene,” Smith mentioned.
Because the live performance at Rochester’s Primary Road Armory ended simply after 11 p.m., individuals exiting the venue started to surge dangerously, Smith mentioned. Police made their method inside and located three ladies with crucial accidents, he mentioned.
A 33-year-old lady died at a hospital, and the opposite ladies two had been in crucial situation Monday, police mentioned mentioned. Seven extra individuals had been taken to hospitals and handled for accidents that weren’t life-threatening, Smith mentioned.
“What started final evening as an evening of stay music and enjoyable for the performer GloRilla led to tragedy with one individual lifeless and two extra preventing for his or her lives,” the chief mentioned.
Whereas there isn’t any proof of photographs being fired, Smith mentioned, police are investigating a number of potential causes of the deadly surge, together with “probably crowd dimension, photographs fired, pepper spray and different contributing components.”
Mayor Malik Evans known as the deadly stampede “a tragedy of epic proportions” and promised a by investigation. “We’re going to maintain individuals accountable for what occurred final evening, interval,” Evans mentioned.
GloRilla reacted to the information of the tragedy in an early morning Monday tweet. “Praying everyone is okay,” she wrote partly.
GloRilla, a Memphis native whose 2022 music “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” with Hitkidd was nominated for a Grammy for greatest rap efficiency, tweeted that she was “praying everyone is okay.”
Deadly crowd surges have been a recurring catastrophe at live shows and different massive occasions within the U.S. and around the globe, together with a 2021 live performance by rapper Travis Scott by which 10 individuals died.