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The victims, aged 9 to 27 years old, died of
compression asphyxia, the examiner's report concluded,
essentially crushed to death in the crowd surrounding the stage.
Another 300 people were injured among the audience of 50,000
people.
Victims were trapped and hemmed in by barricades on three sides,
unable to escape as thousands of fans rushed toward the stage
while Scott performed. Eyewitnesses said spectators fell to the
ground and some were trampled by the crowd.
The medical examiner ruled out homicide, or death caused by
another person, in all 10 cases.
“This re-opens a fresh wound for many families who are still
trying to make sense of what happened," said Harris County's top
executive Lina Hidalgo.
"Bharti Shahani suffered a horrific death as she was suffocated
within a massive crowd," said attorney James Lassiter, who
represents the Shahani family. The findings "confirm Bharti's
family's worst fears," he said.
A spokesperson for Scott declined immediate comment. His
attorney and representatives for Live Nation did not reply to
requests for comment.
A Houston police spokesperson declined immediate comment.
The medical examiner's finding could shape the direction of a
police criminal investigation into the tragedy, which has shaken
Houston and raised issues about crowd control and security at
entertainment mega-events.
There have been no charges filed by police but at least 200
lawsuits including several by family members of the deceased
have been filed against 29-year-old Scott, festival promoter
Live Nation Entertainment, the NRG Park concert venue, and
others involved in the event.
The family of Mirza Danish Baig, 27, sued organizers for
negligence and wrongful death, alleging they failed to stop the
show "when it was obvious they had lost complete control of the
situation," according to their lawyer. At least two other
families also filed negligence lawsuits.
Compression asphyxia is caused by a force from the front or back
preventing the lungs from expanding, said Dr. Ron Albarado, an
acute care trauma surgeon, at UT Health Houston. Deaths can
occur in about 15-20 minutes in a crowd surging back and forth,
he said.
What Scott and organizers knew of the unfolding tragedy before
ending the concert is part of the police investigation. The
concert continued for more than 30 minutes after it was declared
a mass casualty event, and after police told the promoter to
halt it, Houston Chief Troy Finner has said.
Scott was unaware of the full extent of what had happened until
the next morning, his attorney has said, and the rapper offered
to help with the families' funeral expenses. Festival director
and executive producers, not Scott, were responsible for
deciding when to end the concert, his attorney has said.
(Reporting by Gary McWilliams, additional reporting by Marcy de
Luna and Erwin Seba in Houston; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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