A second person has died in a stampede at a concert headlined by Memphis rapper GloRilla and her fellow Tennessee rap group, Finesse2Tymes. Rhondesia Belton from Buffalo, New York, was the first woman to die after being trampled by concertgoers.
The Incident
The swarming crowd surged toward the venue’s exits after the performers’ performance ended, and it caused injuries that left several people critically injured. At the time of the incident, officials said people believed they heard gunshots inside the building, prompting them to flee the venue.
According to the Democrat and Chronicle, witnesses at the show claimed they heard “the sound of a gunshot inside the building.” That prompted the crowd to rush to the exits, where other concertgoers trampled them. Authorities said that a 33-year-old woman died, and eight other people were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to security guard Anthony Rouse, his daughter got caught in the crowd near the hall’s entrance as she was attempting to exit. Rouse said her injuries were so bad she spent part of Monday in the hospital.
The Associated Press reported that Rochester Mayor Malik Evans called the deaths “totally unacceptable” and promised a thorough investigation into whether the venue operators had the necessary safety measures for a large crowd. He also promised to inquire whether the concert had any links to the deaths of 10 people at Travis Scott’s AstroWorld concert in Houston in 2021.
The deaths came as the latest in a string of deadly crowd-surge fatalities at concerts and other events, including a Halloween celebration in Seoul that killed more than 150 people. Despite the dangers, many concertgoers attend these shows hoping to see their favorite artists.
After learning about the deaths of two women trampled by the crowd surge at the concert on Sunday, Grammy-nominated rap artist GloRilla posted a heartfelt message on Twitter. She said she is “pray[ing] for all the families affected by this tragedy.”
