Head of Houston Police ‘expressed concerns’ to Travis Scott ahead of fatal concert
The head of Houston Police said he “expressed concerns” to rapper Travis Scott ahead of a concert that left people dead following a fatal crowd surge.
Eight people aged between 14 and 27 were killed in the crush at the Astroworld Festival, Houston, while hundreds more were injured.
A lawyer, representing the family of Axel Acosta, 21, who was killed, said: “Crowd-goers trying to escape their own suffocation trampled over his body like a piece of trash.”
In a statement, police chief Troy Finner said: “I met with Travis Scott and his head of security for a few moments last Friday prior to the main event.
“I expressed my concerns regarding public safety and that in my 31 years of law enforcement experience I have never seen a time with more challenges facing citizens of all ages, to include a global pandemic and social tension throughout the nation.
“I asked Travis Scott and his team to work with Houston Police Department for all events over the weekend and to be mindful of his team’s social media messaging on any unscheduled events. The meeting was brief and respectful, and a chance for me to share my public safety concerns as Chief of Police.
“As I have previously stated, our criminal investigation continues. We are asking for everyone to be considerate of the grieving families during this incredibly difficult time. Please continue to lift them up in prayer.”
Scott has said he has been left “absolutely devastated” by the incident.
It comes as lawyer Tony Buzbee said he will be filing legal action on behalf of at least 35 people – a number he said is growing, with his phone “ringing off the hook”.
So far, some 13 lawsuits have been filed against Scott and Live Nation Entertainment Inc in Harris County, with many suing for negligence, gross negligence, and damages for injuries.
Brianna Rodriguez, 16, was among the victims
Franco Patino, 21, was a student at the University of Dayton in Ohio
Several of the lawsuits state that the defendant was “seriously and permanently injured by the recklessness and conscious indifference” of Scott and Live Nation.
Manuel Souza, one of the people who filed a petition seen by Reuters and Associated Press news agencies, suffered “serious bodily injuries” in the tragedy at the Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas.
People crushed as crowds break through barriers at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival earlier in the day.
Mr Souza is seeking at least $1m (about £741,000) in damages from defendants including Scott and show organisers Live Nation, according to a lawsuit filed in Harris County District Court.
Another man named Kristian Paredes has also filed a lawsuit against Scott, Live Nation, and Canadian rapper Drake, who made a guest appearance at the concert, according to US media.
Jacob Jurinek had saved up to attend the festival
Rudy Pena, 23, the youngest of five siblings, attended the show with his friends
Families of the victims have demanded justice and investigators are expected to examine the design of safety barriers and the use of crowd control in determining what led to the surge at the sold-out festival, which was founded by Scott.
The tragedy unfolded after some of the crowd at the show are said to have pushed toward the stage at NRG Park, as a timer clicked down to the start of Grammy-nominated Scott’s show.
A security officer was also left unconscious after apparently being injected in the neck by a concert-goer.
Scott said he was working to help the families of “the ones that was lost” as well as giving his “total support” to police.
He announced he will cover all funeral costs and “provide further aid” for those affected.
The 29-year-old star is known for his high-energy performances in which music fans are encouraged to stage dive and crowd-surf.
Scott is expecting his second child with partner Kylie Jenner. Pic: ESBP/STAR MAX/IPx
He stopped multiple times during his set after spotting fans in distress near the front of the stage and asked security to help people out of the crowd.
His partner Kylie Jenner, with whom he is expecting his second child, said after the tragedy that they had been left “broken and devastated”, and offered her “deepest condolences” to the families of those affected.
A guitar used by John Lennon in the recording of The Beatles album and film Help! is going up for auction after being found in a loft.
Believed to have been lost, the 12-string acoustic guitar had not been seen or played for more than 50 years before it was rediscovered in the home of a British couple.
It is now going up for auction where it is estimated to fetch between £485,000 to £647,000.
Auctioneers believe it could set a “new world record for the highest-selling Beatles guitar”.
The Hootenanny model, made by German firm Framus, was used by the Liverpool band in the 1965 Help! film, specifically in the scene when the group perform You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away.
It was also used during the recording sessions for It’s Only Love and I’ve Just Seen A Face and Girl along with the rhythm track for Norwegian Wood played by George Harrison.
Lennon’s lost guitar on display in London ahead of the auction. Pic: AP
“Finding this remarkable instrument is like finding a lost Rembrandt or Picasso, and it still looks and plays like a dream after having been preserved in an attic for more than 50 years,” said Darren Julien, co-founder and executive director at auction house Julien’s Auctions.
“To awaken this sleeping beauty is a sacred honour and is a great moment for music, Julien’s, Beatles and auction history.”
It is believed the guitar came to be in the possession of Scottish guitarist Gordon Waller, known for being one half of the pop duo Peter & Gordon, who later gave it to his band’s road managers in the 1970s.
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It is not the first piece of Beatles memorabilia to be rediscovered.
In February, Sir Paul McCartney was reunited with his 1961 Hofner bass guitar, which he used on songs such as Twist And Shout and She Loves You.
Julien’s Auctions has previously sold another Lennon acoustic guitar for $2.4m (£1.93m), Ringo Starr’s Ludwig drum kit was purchased for $2.2m (£1.77m) and a Ludwig drumhead bass used on The Ed Sullivan Show was auctioned at $2.1m (£1.64m).
The Hootenanny guitar will go up for auction along with the guitar’s Maton Australian-made case as part of Julien’s Music Icons two-day auction on 29 and 30 May.
Also being sold at the auction is an Adam Clayton stage-played and owned rose sparkle Fender bass guitar, used at the U2 Las Vegas Sphere shows, which has an estimate of $50,000 to 70,000 (£40,199 to £56,279).
Tina Turner’s Versace dress, worn during her 1996 to 1997 Wildest Dreams Tour, and Amy Winehouse’s Black Fendi gown made for the opening of the clothes shop during Paris Fashion Week, are also up for auction.
US actor Terry Carter, who starred in 1970s TV shows including Battlestar Galactica and McCloud, has died at the age of 95.
Carter “died peacefully” at his New York home on Tuesday, it was announced on his official website.
He was best known for his roles as Colonel Tigh in the original Battlestar Galactica series and Sergeant Joe Broadhurst on McCloud.
During his decades-long career he was seen to break down barriers, including in 1956 becoming one of the first black actors to become a TV sitcom regular, playing Private Sugarman on The Phil Silvers Show.
His first major Hollywood role was playing Detective Max Jaffie in 1970 hit Company Of Killers, before his portrayal of Sergeant Joe Broadhurst in the US police drama series McCloud which ran from 1970 to 1977.
Arguably his most well-known role came for starring as Colonel Tigh, second-in-command of the starship fleet in original science-fiction series Battlestar Galactica in 1978.
The series came off the back of the success of Star Wars in 1977.
In 1989, he was nominated for an Emmy award for producing and directing a TV musical documentary titled A Duke Named Ellington about the life and work of the pianist, composer, and jazz star.
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His other credits including starring in Foxy Brown and Benji; creating a documentary about African-American anthropologist, dancer, and choreographer Katherine Dunham; and becoming a TV anchor newscaster for WBZ-TV Eyewitness News in Boston in 1965.
He also appeared in three Broadway productions, with his debut in Mrs Patterson, as well as the revival of the musical Finian’s Rainbow, and his final appearance was in the musical Kwamina, opposite British star Sally Ann Howes.
Carter is survived by his wife Etaferhu Zenebe-DeCoste, his two children Miguel and Melinda and Mrs Zenebe-DeCoste’s daughter.
Richard Osman has revealed three out of four of the lead characters for the forthcoming big screen adaptation of The Thursday Murder Club.
Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley will take on the roles of Elizabeth Best, Ron Ritchie and Ibrahim Arif respectively.
Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley. Pic: AP
The Pointless host shared the names of the key cast members on his bi-weekly podcast The Rest Is Entertainment, which he presents with journalist Marina Hyde.
Chris Columbus – the man behind Home Alone, Mrs Doubtfire and two Harry Potter movies – is set to write and direct the film, which is being produced by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment.
The movie is based on Osman’s debut novel of the same name which follows a group of friends in a retirement home who solve cold cases for fun, but become entangled in a real murder.
It is set in a retirement home Cooper’s Chase, in the fictitious village of Fairhaven in Kent.
Osman said the production will take place from “the end of June to September” in the UK.
The fourth main character, a retired nurse called Joyce Meadowcroft, has not yet been confirmed.
Osman hinted at the casting, saying: “Joyce, we’re still in negotiations but again the name is the one that people most shout at me in the street”.
He teased: “Lots more casting to come in the following weeks.”
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An adaptation of the novel was first confirmed in 2020 after Amblin Partners secured rights in a competitive auction.
The fastest-selling adult crime debut, Osman has since written three more books in the series, with a fifth due out next year.
Before becoming a well-known face on quiz shows including Pointless and Richard Osman’s House Of Games, the quiz master and author worked as a TV entertainment executive, producing shows including 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Deal Or No Deal and Whose Line Is It Anyway?
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