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The
death of Ezra Blount brought the total number of those killed
during a stampede at last week's Astroworld Festival to ten,
ranging in age from 9 to 27.
The deaths took place when the Grammy Award-nominated rapper
Scott appeared before a crowd of 50,000 at NRG Stadium. The
scene grew out of control as fans surged toward the stage.
"The Blount family tonight is grieving the incomprehensible loss
of their precious young son," said attorney Ben Crump. "This
should not have been the outcome of taking their son to a
concert."
Crump has said that any one of several concert officials could
have prevented deaths and injuries by stopping the show and
turning on the house lights when the chaos in the crowd became
apparent.
Crump and other attorneys for those hurt at the festival have
filed scores of lawsuits against Scott and the organizers,
alleging negligence in crowd control, failure to provide proper
medical attention and a lack of emergency preparations, among
other issues.
Scott on Thursday asked victims and their families to reach out
to him, saying he "desperately wishes to share his condolences
and provide aid," according to a statement. The rapper earlier
offered to pay for funeral costs and mental health counseling.
(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; Editing by Raju
Gopalakrishnan)
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