News has finally surfaced regarding potential criminal charges for Travis Scott‘s involvement in the Astroworld Festival of 2021. His lawyer Kent Schaffer has shared that a Texas grand jury will not indict Scott on any criminal charges related to the festival. In addition to this, Schaffer shared that “Travis is not responsible,” and “[Travis] never encouraged people to do anything that resulted in other people being hurt.”
Just under two years ago, the superstar rapper hosted his annual Astroworld Festival, which led to the death of ten fans ranging in age from twenty-seven to as young as nine years old. Held at Houston’s NRG Park, the rush caused by the event injured countless fans as well during Scott’s headline performance, as both he and the event coordinators lost control of the crowd as it pushed forward relentlessly. Footage shared via social media revealed the desperation shared by fans who pleaded unaware cameramen to stop the show.
Following the disaster, Scott — and Live Nation, the event’s promoter — were met with outrage in regard to their unsafe practices. Within days, over 500 lawsuits had surfaced and Scott’s partnership with Nike was placed on hold. In the following months, lawsuits of incredible size were met by strong efforts to dismiss and settle by Scott’s team, while putting forth heavily-criticized apologies. Less than a year later, he announced a festival appearance, resumed his Nike collaborations and announced a new philanthropic initiative — “Project HEAL.”
While a share of lawsuits have been settled, many are unresolved and it remains to be seen what this verdict truly means for Scott’s career. This is a developing story.
