Astroworld Concert Tragedy: Identity of Youngest Attendee Who Died During Show Revealed
Travis Scott's Astroworld festival claimed eight fans' lives during the show, and one of them was just a teen.
The highly-anticipated show saw initial success soon after Scott and his team announced its ticket selling in May after facing cancelation in 2020 due to the pandemic. At that time, over 100,000 tickets were sold during the two-day event.
However, the comeback event turned horrifying to fans who became victims of the stampede, and a teen fan was one of them.
Astroworld Festival's Youngest Victim
Multiple news outlets confirmed that Texas high school freshman, 14-year-old John Hilgert, was identified as the youngest victim during the incident.
On Saturday, the administrators from his high school shared the heartbreaking news to its community through a letter.
"Our hearts go out to the student's family and to his friends and our staff at Memorial," MHS Principal Lisa Weir wrote, as quoted by ABC 13. "This is a terrible loss, and the entire MHS family is grieving today."
Hilgert was reportedly crushed during the stampede on Friday night.
Following his untimely death, baseball coach Justin Higgs remembered him through several photos and videos.
"John made an impact on anyone who met him and they always remembered him. I have memories of John I'll never forget. You had to love the kid. No option not too [sic] cause he was who he was. He loved the game [of] baseball," he wrote on Facebook and Instagram.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner held a news conference on Saturday, confirming the deaths of eight victims alongside Hilgert - Franco Patino, Danish Baig, Brianna Rodriguez, Rudy Peña, Jacob E. Jurinek, and Axel Acosta. One has yet to be identified.
Their cause of death has not been identified yet. The medical examiner had already launched their investigation into the matter.
What Happened During The Festival?
ABC News reporter Mycah Hatfield first delivered the tragic news on Twitter.
"As we were arriving to the Astroworld Festival at NRG Park right at 2:00, a stampede burst through the gates. Hundreds of people destroyed the VIP security entrance, bypassing the checkpoint. People were trampled. Some were detained," she wrote.
Per The Sun, around 300 people suffered from injuries throughout the day before Scott's set started at 9:00 p.m. Only 15 minutes after the show began, the crowd started compressing and running toward the stage, causing panics and crushing other attendees.
According to Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena, a mass casualty incident happened at 9:38 p.m. when 17 people were transported to hospitals - 11 of which suffered from cardiac arrest.
