A Texas grand jury has declined to press criminal charges against Travis Scott and five others over the fatal 2021 Astroworld crowd surge that left 10 dead and dozens injured.
Billboard reports that the grand jury's decision follows a 19-month investigation into the tragedy at Scott's Astroworld Festival, held in Houston, TX, in November 2021.
In a press conference today, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said investigators had tracked down "every piece of relevant evidence," interviewed witnesses and watched "thousands and thousands of hours" of video before presenting their findings to the grand jury [via Billboard].
"Our job is narrow. It is to determine if this tragedy, this absolutely disastrous, horrific event, involved criminal activity by anyone," Ogg said. "In this instance, the grand jury found that no crime did occur — that no single individual was criminally responsible."
Scott's attorney, Kent Schaffer, shared in a statement [via Billboard], "Now that this chapter is closed, we hope for the government efforts to focus on what is most important — stopping future heartbreaking tragedies like Astroworld from ever occurring again."
During Scott's performance at the festival, a large number of attendees in the over-capacity crowd surged toward the stage, resulting in a panic that led to injuries and fatalities.
A wave of lawsuits were brought against Scott, guest performer Drake, concert promotion giant Live Nation and more in the aftermath, while Scott would later announce an event safety initiative.
Last October, Scott settled out of court with the family of one of the people killed, who had sued the artist, Live Nation and others. Additional lawsuits remain pending.
Billboard reports that the grand jury's decision follows a 19-month investigation into the tragedy at Scott's Astroworld Festival, held in Houston, TX, in November 2021.
In a press conference today, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said investigators had tracked down "every piece of relevant evidence," interviewed witnesses and watched "thousands and thousands of hours" of video before presenting their findings to the grand jury [via Billboard].
"Our job is narrow. It is to determine if this tragedy, this absolutely disastrous, horrific event, involved criminal activity by anyone," Ogg said. "In this instance, the grand jury found that no crime did occur — that no single individual was criminally responsible."
Scott's attorney, Kent Schaffer, shared in a statement [via Billboard], "Now that this chapter is closed, we hope for the government efforts to focus on what is most important — stopping future heartbreaking tragedies like Astroworld from ever occurring again."
During Scott's performance at the festival, a large number of attendees in the over-capacity crowd surged toward the stage, resulting in a panic that led to injuries and fatalities.
A wave of lawsuits were brought against Scott, guest performer Drake, concert promotion giant Live Nation and more in the aftermath, while Scott would later announce an event safety initiative.
Last October, Scott settled out of court with the family of one of the people killed, who had sued the artist, Live Nation and others. Additional lawsuits remain pending.