ROCHESTER, N.Y — One person was killed and nine were injured at a rap concert in upstate New York due to a stampede apparently sparked by false rumors of a shooting, authorities reported.
The incident occurred Sunday night at a GloRilla and Finesse2tymes concert in Rochester.
The victims were crushed by the crowd that ran in panic toward the venue’s exits, police Chief David M. Smith said at a news conference Monday.
“We have no evidence whatsoever that shots were fired at the scene,” Smith stated. As the concert at the Main Street Armory in Rochester ended shortly after 11 p.m., people began to crowd dangerously toward the exits, Smith said. He added that when police entered the venue they saw three women seriously injured.
One 33-year-old woman died in the hospital and the other two were in critical condition Monday, police said. Seven other people were taken to hospitals and treated for injuries, but not serious, Smith said.
“What started as a night of live music and fun for artist GloRilla ended in tragedy with one person dead and two others fighting for their lives,” the official said.
While there is no evidence of a shooting, Smith added, several possible causes of the stampede are being investigated, including “possibly crowd size, gunfire, irritant gas or other factors.”
Mayor Malik Evans called the event “a tragedy of epic proportions” and promised a thorough investigation.
“We’re going to establish accountability for what happened last night, period,” Evans declared.
GloRilla, of Memphis and whose song “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” with Hitkidd was nominated for a Grammy for best rap performance, tweeted that he is “praying everyone is OK.”