ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — 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.
Police said that three women were found with significant injuries inside Rochester’s Main Street Armory. Police, security, and EMS personnel began life-saving measures on the victims.
The three women were transported to Strong Memorial Hospital, and one of the victims — a 33-year-old woman — was pronounced dead. The other two are listed in critical condition. Seven other individuals were taken to the hospital in private vehicles with non-life-threatening injuries.
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“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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
