After a month without answers, as of December 16th, 2021, we now know how the victims of the Astroworld disaster tragically passed. According to the medical examiner’s office in Harris County, all deaths at the festival were due to asphyxiation. Out of the ten victims killed, only one individual was found to have a contributing cause of death (i.e., intoxication of cocaine, methamphetamine, and ethanol). In a statement made by Tony Buzbee, the lawyer representing victim, Axel Acosta’s family, he said:
The report confirms what the family already knew, which is that Axel was crushed and killed that night by the crowd, through no fault of his own. It is also important to note that Axel’s blood contained absolutely no intoxicants or other like substances. Now that we have received the official results, I want to say to our police chief: Shame on you.
Tony Buzbee
With accountability still in question over how the crush unfolded, key figures such as Travis Scott have resurfaced in the media. In an interview with Charlamagne Tha God, Scott claims, “I’m the face of the festival, I’m the artist, so the media wants to put it on me, but at the end of the day, I don’t think it’s more so about that, it’s more so about stepping up to figure out what the problem is.”
Addressing Astroworld’s mass casualty status, the rapper claims it was only after the police press conference later that night that he fully understood the gravity of the situation.
In the aftermath of these comments, several victims’ families urged Scott to take accountability. Deeming his conversation as insensitive and untrue, Jennifer Peña, sister of victim Rudy Peña, believes Scott “could have avoided all of this. He could have stopped the concert and avoided all of this death.”
As of right now, the search for responsibility is still underway. With the Huston Police now cooperating with the FBI, there is a massive incentive for the event’s festive-goers to submit their videos of the night to aid the investigation.
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