Kylie Jenner on Sunday said both she and her partner, rapper Travis Scott, were “unaware of any fatalities” until after the Astroworld Festival ended on Friday.
The reality TV star and mogul said the couple was “devastated” that at least eight people, including a 14-year-old, were killed in the chaotic crowd surge that occurred at the Houston event.
In a message posted to Instagram, Jenner made “clear” that she and Scott were “unaware of any fatalities” until after the show had concluded, adding, “In no world would we have continued filming or performing.”
Video taken from the event shows people pleading for help amid the chaos as the concert kept going.
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An estimated 50,000 people attended the Friday night event at NRG Park. The surge and subsequent panic began shortly after 9 p.m., according to Houston officials.
“There are a lot of unanswered questions,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said Saturday. “Over the next several days, several weeks — could be even longer — we’ll take an in-depth look at everything that took place, why it took place, what steps we can do moving forward to mitigate an incident of this kind from taking place at any other point in time.”
In a statement posted to social media on Saturday, Scott said he was “absolutely devastated.”
“My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival. Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, an injured concertgoer on Saturday filed a lawsuit against Scott and other organizers of the festival, calling the incident a “predictable and preventable tragedy,” Billboard reported. In a petition filed in Harris County District Court, attendee Manuel Souza sued Scott, organizer ScoreMore and concert giant Live Nation, claiming the disaster was the direct result of “a motivation for profit at the expense of concertgoers’ health and safety” and the “encouragement of violence.”
“Defendants failed to properly plan and conduct the concert in a safe manner,” wrote Souza’s attorney, Steve Kherkher. “Instead, they consciously ignored the extreme risks of harm to concertgoers, and, in some cases actively encouraged and fomented dangerous behaviors.”
On Sunday came word of a second lawsuit filed by Texas attorney Thomas J. Henry against Scott and Drake — who made a surprise appearance onstage during Scott’s headlining set — as well as Live Nation and NRG Stadium, on behalf of one of the victims.
“There is no excuse for the events that unfolded at NRG Stadium on Friday night,” Henry said. “There is every indication that the performers, organizers, and venue were not only aware of the hectic crowd but also that injuries and potential deaths may have occurred. Still, they decided to put profits over their attendees and allowed the deadly show to go on.”
Nov. 7, 4:18 p.m. Added details about the lawsuit filed Saturday.
Nov. 7, 4:29 p.m. Added details of a second lawsuit.
