The death toll in the Astroworld concert tragedy climbed to ten on Sunday following the death of 9-year-old Ezra Blount, the family announced
Blount, who had been placed in a medically induced coma after being injured at rapper Travis Scott’s deadly musical festival, is the youngest person to die from the crowd surge at the Nov. 5 concert outside Houston’s NRG Park.
“The Blount family is grieving the incomprehensible loss of their precious young son,” Ben Crump, an attorney representing the family, said in a statement. “This should not have been the outcome of taking their son to a concert, what should have been a joyful celebration. Ezra’s death is absolutely heartbreaking. We are committed to seeking answers and justice for the Blount family. But we stand in solidarity with the family, in grief, and in prayer.”
Ezra’s father, Treston Blount, told Houston’s ABC13 that he had brought his son to the concert but stayed toward the back because he thought it would be calmer. After hoisting Ezra on his shoulders as the countdown began to Scott’s performance, Treston Blount said that people started pushing as soon as Scott took the stage.
The two became separated as the crowd surge became more dangerous. “My son, once he had passed out from the pressure being applied to him during the concert, he passed out and Ezra fell into the crowd,” Blount’s grandfather Bernon Blount told the Associated Press. “When my son awakened, Ezra wasn’t there.”
“I am saddened to learn of Ezra’s death this evening,” Houston’s Mayor Sylvester Turner added in a tweet. “Our city tonight prays for his mom, dad, grandparents, other family members and classmates at this time. They will need all of our support in the months and years to come. May God give them strength. RIP Ezra. st #AstroWorld.”
On Friday, Crump filed nearly 100 lawsuits on behalf of concert victims against Scott and festival promoter Live Nation. The lawsuits followed a crowd surge during Scott’s headlining performance that caused a panic and left some people trampled or in cardiac arrest. More than 300 people were treated at a field hospital and eight people died during the festival.
Eight people died the night of the concert, ranging in age from 14 to 27. On Wednesday night, a ninth victim died from her injuries: Bharti Shahani, a 22-year-old senior at Texas A&M University, succumbed to injuries at Houston Methodist Hospital. Shahani, who suffered multiple heart attacks during the crowd surge, was placed on a ventilator with no brain activity shortly after arriving at the hospital, according to ABC13.com.
Over 50,000 people attended the event.