Posted by Houston, TX – The nature of the tragedy that unfolded at Travis Scott‘s Astroworld Festival on November 5 took on an even darker tone when the Houston Police Department said a security guard had been injected with drugs.
During a briefing the day after the deadly festival crowd surge, which killed eight people and injured hundreds more, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner told reporters a member of the festival’s security team was pricked in the neck while attempting to restrain a concert-goer. He later fell unconscious.
“[Medical staff] administered Narcan,” Finner said, referencing the prescription medicine used to treat an opioid overdose. “He was revived and the medical staff did notice a prick that was similar to a prick that you would get if someone was trying to inject.”
However, Houston police have now changed that story. During a news conference on Wednesday (November 10), Chief Finner clarified the security guard was not pricked in the neck, but was actually hit in the head.
According to CBS News, Finner said that authorities have since spoken with the security guard, who confirmed that he was hit in the head and woke up in the medical tent. No one injected him with drugs, Finner said.
Meanwhile, Travis Scott‘s attorney, Edwin F. McPherson, issued a statement addressing the ongoing investigation into the Astroworld deaths on Wednesday.
McPherson called for an end to “finger-pointing” while criticizing city officials for putting out “inconsistent messages” and “backtracking from original statements.”
He cited Troy Finner’s quotes from a recent New York Times interview, in which he said the police decided against shutting down the festival over fears of inciting fan riots.
Astroworld Tragedy Leaves 9-Year-Old Boy In Coma: ‘Why Didn’t Travis Scott Stop?’
“Yet, just a short time later, Chief Finner states the responsibility to stop the show falls on Travis,” McPherson wrote.
He further defended Travis Scott by pointing out that only the festival director and executive producer had the power to pull the plug on the show, as outlined in the festival’s Operations Plan.
McPherson concluded his statement by urging officials to end the blame game and focus on the investigation so “we can identify exactly what transpired and how we can prevent anything like this from ever happening again.”
Attorney for Travis Scott — Edwin McPherson — released statement below. He says Houston officials are sending "inconsistent messages" — and "should start proceeding over fingerpointing." pic.twitter.com/yrL1e12F59
— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) November 11, 2021
Travis Scott has come under heavy scrutiny for his actions as the horrific events unfolded during his headlining Astroworld set.
The Cactus Jack rapper has been criticized for performing for 37 minutes after emergency personnel declared a “mass-casualty incident.” Various clips circulating online show him noticing an ambulance in the crowd but choosing to continue his set.
However, other videos from the festival show Travis stopping his set and asking for security to “jump in” and help fans.
Travis Scott on Astroworld: “I could just never imagine the severity of the situation” pic.twitter.com/njrM2UmDav
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) November 7, 2021
In a video addressing the Astroworld tragedy, Travis Scott claimed he “could never imagine the severity of the situation” while describing his devastation. Additionally, he’s covering the funeral costs for the families of the eight fans who died while refunding all attendees.
That hasn’t stopped the lawsuits from piling up, though. So far, more than 68 lawsuits have been filed against Travis Scott, Drake (who was a special guest during Scott’s set), Live Nation and festival producers ScoreMore, with legal experts predicting the damages could run into the billions.