At Rap Concert, 'Tragedy of Epic Proportions'

2 dead, 8 hurt after stampede at GloRilla event in Rochester, New York
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 6, 2023 9:55 AM CST
Updated Mar 6, 2023 11:09 PM CST
One Dead After Stampede at New York Rap Concert
A flyer for Kream Kalari and GloRilla hangs on a post outside of the Main Street Armory on Monday in Rochester, New York.   (AP Photo/Lauren Petracca)
UPDATE Mar 6, 2023 11:09 PM CST

A second person has died after the tragic crowd surge at a Rochester, New York, rap concert Sunday night. She was one of two women previously reported to have been in critical condition following the incident, CNN reports.

Mar 6, 2023 9:55 AM CST

What appears to have been 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, per the AP. "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 11pm, 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 at a local hospital, while the other two women were in critical condition Monday, police said. Seven additional people were taken to hospitals and treated for injuries that weren't life-threatening, Smith noted. "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's no evidence of shots being fired, Smith said, police are investigating several possible causes of the fatal surge, including "crowd size, shots fired, pepper spray, and other contributing factors."

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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 "FNF (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 US.

(More stampede stories.)

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