ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Apparently false fears of a shooting at a rap concert in Rochester, New York, sent a crowd surging toward the exits, killing one person and injuring nine others, police said.
The injuries at Sunday night’s concert featuring rappers GloRilla and Finesse2tymes were caused by people being trampled, Police Chief David M. Smith said at a news briefing Monday. “We do not have any evidence of gunshots being fired or of anyone being shot or stabbed at the scene,” Smith said.
As the concert at Rochester’s Main Street Armory ended just after 11 p.m., people exiting the venue began to surge dangerously, Smith said. Police made their way inside and found three women with critical injuries, he said.
A 33-year-old woman died died at a hospital, and the other women two were in critical condition Monday, police said said. Seven additional people were taken to hospitals and treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, Smith said.
“What began last night as a night of live music and fun for the performer GloRilla ended in tragedy with one person dead and two more fighting for their lives,” the chief said.
While there is no evidence of shots being fired, Smith said, police are investigating several possible causes of the fatal surge, including “possibly crowd size, shots fired, pepper spray and other contributing factors.”
Mayor Malik Evans called the fatal stampede “a tragedy of epic proportions” and promised a through investigation. “We are going to hold people accountable for what happened last night, period,” Evans said.
GloRilla, a Memphis native whose 2022 song “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” with Hitkidd was nominated for a Grammy for best rap performance, tweeted that she was “praying everybody is ok.”
Fatal crowd surges have been a recurring disaster at concerts and other large events in the U.S. and around the world, including a 2021 concert by rapper Travis Scott in which 10 people died.