As the Houston Police Department pieces together what led to the tragedy at the Astroworld music festival that left people dead, the chief said there’s a rumor that someone was drugging other people.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said “there are a lot of narratives” about the crowd surge during Travis Scott’s performance on Friday night that also left hundreds injured.
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During a news conference Saturday, Finner said social media users need to be respectful to victims’ families and allow officers to investigate.
“One of the narratives was that some individual was injecting other people with drugs,” he said.
While that claim has not been confirmed, Finner said medical staff reported that a security officer had to be revived with Narcan, an opioid antidote.
The security officer was reportedly reaching over to grab an individual when he felt a prick on his neck, Finner said.
When he was examined, he went unconscious.
“And the medical staff did notice a prick that was similar to a prick that you would get if someone is trying to inject,” Finner said.
Authorities planned to use videos, witness interviews and a review of concert procedures during the investigation, according to the Associated Press.
The chaos erupted when people rushed to the stage to see Scott, crushing spectators so tightly that they couldn’t breathe. Finner added that people were trampled.
About 50,000 people attended Friday’s concert.
The dead, according to friends and family members, included a 14-year-old high school student; a 16-year-old girl who loved dancing; and a 21-year-old engineering student at the University of Dayton. The youngest was 14, the oldest 27.
Thirteen people remained hospitalized Sunday. Their conditions were not disclosed. Over 300 people were treated at a field hospital at the concert.
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