2 dead in GloRilla concert stampede in New York

The death toll rose to two on Saturday after a stampede at a rap concert in Rochester, NY, which authorities said may have been triggered by an unfounded fear of gunfire.

Memphis rap stars GloRilla and Finesse2tymes had finished performing Sunday night at the Rochester Main Street Armory when someone prompted them to step dangerously toward the exit after 11 p.m., police chief David M. Smith said at a news briefing Friday.

“We have no evidence of shots being fired or anyone being shot or stabbed at the scene,” Smith said.

The Ikea Hayes concert returned to the venue Monday to pick up the items it left behind.

“I watched my life flash before my eyes, and I still don’t know what happened,” she told Rochester television station WHEC. He described being “on the ground, just scared, praying, like, you gotta get up, you gotta move. If you stay here, they’re gonna keep running. So, you gotta get up. gotta move.”

Police found three seriously injured women in the auditorium. One, Rhondesia Belton, of Buffalo, died at the hospital. Belton, 33, works for the Buffalo Traffic Violations Agency, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown tweeted Monday afternoon.

“His family, friends and colleagues are devastated and left to mourn this tragic loss,” Brown said. “Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.”

Rochester police announced the death of a 35-year-old woman late Monday. His name was not released. The other woman remains in critical condition, police said. Seven additional people were treated at area hospitals for non-life threatening injuries.

Security guard Anthony Rouse told WHEC he went into work when he learned his daughter was going to the concert. He was sick from being rushed out and spent Monday in the hospital, he said.

“The whole reason I went in was to protect them,” he said. “And I failed.”

Rouse said she was near the stage when her daughter dropped near the door to the crowded room.

“What started yesterday as a night of live music and fun for GloRilla players ended in tragedy,” said Smith, the police chief.

While there was no evidence of gunfire, Smith said, police are investigating several possible causes of the fatal spike, including “crowd size, shots fired, pepper spray and other contributing factors.”

Stampede ‘unacceptable,’ investigation expected

Rochester Mayor Malik Evans called the fatal stampede “unacceptable” and promised a full investigation into whether venue operators had the necessary safety measures in place for the crowd.

“We will hold people accountable for what happened yesterday,” Evans said, though he cautioned that it was too early in the investigation to assign blame. “I’m going to get it down here.”

There was no response to an email seeking comment sent Monday to the Main Street Armory.

GloRilla, the song of 2022 FNF (Let’s Go) with Hitkidd nominated for the Grammy for the best rap performance, wrote in a series of tweets that he was “praying everybody ok” and “heartbroken” over the news of his death.

Fatal mass shootings have become an ongoing disaster at concerts and other large events in the US and around the world, including one at a 2021 concert by rapper Travis Scott, in which 10 people died.

Built from 1905 to 1907 and originally used by the US Army, the armory hosted sporting events throughout the 20th century before being closed for several years beginning in the late 1990s, in part due to the lack of a fire suppression system at the time. mentioned.

It reopened after extensive renovations and began to host concerts and other events in 2005. Smith said the main arena has a capacity of about 5,000 people, and the city fire marshal will work with the police to determine whether the capacity has exceeded Sunday.

City officials said the facility underwent a physical fire safety inspection in December and is in compliance with fire code.

The next scheduled event, a Saturday performance by rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, has been canceled.

“When you go to a concert, you don’t expect to get trampled,” Evans said. “Your loved ones hope you can go home and talk about the experience you had at this wonderful concert.”