The Commercial Appeal

1 dead, 9 injured in stampede at NY concert

False fears of gunfire may have caused the surge

- Victoria E. Freile Rochester Democrat and Chronicle USA TODAY NETWORK – TENNESSEE

One woman is dead and two others critically injured after a large crowd surged following a concert featuring Glorilla and Finesse2ty­mes at the Main Street Armory in Rochester, New York.

Three women were taken by ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital, where one of three — a 33-year-old woman — was pronounced dead, according to Rochester police.

The other two victims were listed in critical condition with life-threatenin­g injuries as of Monday morning.

Seven additional concert-goers were dropped off by private vehicles at area hospitals with injuries that were not considered life-threatenin­g, but were related to the same incident, police said.

Just after 11 p.m., after the concert ended, concert-goers were leaving the venue when the crowd started to surge and rush toward the exit, said Rochester Police Chief David Smith. There were reports of individual­s hearing what they believed to be gunshots inside the venue, at 900 E. Main St., “causing the crowd to panic,” he said.

Smith said there was no evidence that anyone fired a gun inside the venue, or that anyone at the venue was shot or stabbed. The injuries, Smith said, “were caused from being trampled,” Smith said.

Police, along with other city department­s including the Fire Marshal, Code Enforcemen­t Office and Rochester’s Corporate Counsel, are investigat­ing the fatal stampede and are currently interviewi­ng concert-goers, injured victims, security, among others. Police are looking into numerous contributi­ng factors including crowd size, shots fired, pepper spray, as part of the investigat­ion.

Smith said the city is also working with the state Liquor Authority to verify compliance with regulatory safety measures.

The agencies, he said, will not only determine what happened, but will “bring accountabi­lity to those who are culpable for last night’s tragedy,” Smith said.

Rochester Mayor Malik Evans, who along with Smith at the scene early Monday morning, said the situation both “breaks my heart and is totally unacceptab­le.”

“This is a tragedy of epic proportion­s,” Evans said at a news conference Monday. “It’s something that all of us who love concerts worry about... When you go to a concert you do not expect to be trampled. Your loved ones expect you to be able to come home and talk about the experience you had at that great concert.”

It was not immediatel­y known how many people attended the concert. Smith said the building has a capacity for approximat­ely 5,000 people.

It is also not yet clear whether shows on the Main Street Armory’s schedule — including the next concert scheduled to be held Saturday, March 11 — will take place as planned as the investigat­ion is underway.

Glorilla, a Memphis native whose 2022 song “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” with Hitkidd was nominated for a Grammy for best rap performanc­e, tweeted that she was “praying everybody is ok.”

Fatal crowd surges have been a recurring disaster at concerts and other large events in the U.S. and around the world, including a 2021 concert by rapper Travis Scott in which 10 people died.

Police are asking anyone with video, photos or other details on the concert and its aftermath that can help police in their investigat­ion to call 911 or email Psi@cityofroch­ester.gov.

 ?? CHRIS PIZZELLO/INVISION/AP ?? Glorilla, seen here, and Finesse2ty­mes performed at the Main Street Armory in Rochester, New York.
CHRIS PIZZELLO/INVISION/AP Glorilla, seen here, and Finesse2ty­mes performed at the Main Street Armory in Rochester, New York.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States