Police authorities raised to two the fatalities after the stampede at a rap concert in upstate New York. The stampede would have been caused by false rumors of a shooting, authorities reported.
The incident occurred Sunday night at a GloRilla and Finesse Times concert in Rochester.
The victims were crushed by the terrified crowd that ran towards the exits of the room, said the police chief David M. Smith in a press conference Monday.
“We have no evidence that any shots were fired at the location,” Smith said. As the concert at Rochester’s Main Street Armory ended shortly after 11 pm, people began to pack dangerously to the exits, Smith said. He added that when the police entered the premises he saw three seriously injured women.
A 33-year-old woman died at the hospital and the other two were in critical condition Monday, police said. Seven other people were taken to hospitals and treated for injuries, but not serious, Smith said.
“What started as a night of live music and fun for artist GloRilla ended in tragedy with one person dead and two others fighting for their lives,” the official said.
While there is no evidence of a shooting, Smith added, several possible causes of the stampede are being investigated, including “possibly crowd size, gunshots, irritant gas or other factors.”
Mayor Malik Evans called the incident “a tragedy of epic proportions” and promised a thorough investigation.
“We are going to establish accountability for what happened last night, period,” Evans declared.
GloRilla, from Memphis, whose song FNF (Let’s Go) featuring Hitkidd was nominated for a Grammy for best rap performance, tweeted that she is “praying everyone is doing well.”
