The mass casualty event that took place on November 5 at Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld festival in Houston has claimed its tenth—and youngest—victim. As reported by The Root last week, nine-year-old Scott fan Ezra Blount was atop his father Treston’s shoulders when a crowd surge among the festival’s approximately 50,000 attendees crushed Treston to unconsciousness. Falling to the ground, Ezra was subsequently trampled by concertgoers, suffering massive injuries.
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“He has injuries to his kidney, to his lung, to his liver. Basically, every organ has damage,” Ezra’s grandmother, Tericia Blount, told Rolling Stone. “He had cardiac arrest. His heart is weak and has damage as well. And his brain has swelling, and he’s in an induced coma.”
Tragically, after over a week on a ventilator, Ezra’s injuries were too severe for the 9-year-old to survive. The Blount family announced Ezra’s death on Sunday night via a statement from the family’s attorney Ben Crump (h/t Variety).
The Blount family tonight is grieving the incomprehensible loss of their precious young son. This should not have been the outcome of taking their son to a concert, what should have been a joyful celebration. Ezra’s death is absolutely heartbreaking. We are committed to seeking answers and justice for the Blount family. But tonight we stand in solidarity with the family, in grief, and in prayer.
As his father told Houston’s ABC13, Ezra “was so stoked,” to see his favorite rapper perform at the festival Scott initially launched in 2018.
“They were expecting to come and have a good time with each other, bond as father and son,” Ezra’s grandfather, Bernon Blount, told local station KHOU11.
Ironically, ABC13 reports: “The pair stayed toward the back of the crowd because Treston said he thought it would be calmer. But as soon as Travis Scott took the stage, he said that’s when people started pushing.”
Ezra is now the youngest victim to die as a result of poor crowd management at this year’s Astroworld. Eight attendees—John Hilgert, 14; Brianna Rodriguez, 16; Jacob Jurinek, 20; Franco Patiño, 21; Axel Acosta, 21; Madison Dubiski, 23; Rodolfo Peña, 23; and Danish Baig, 27—were declared dead in the immediate aftermath of the catastrophe. A ninth victim, 22-year-old Texas A&M student Bharti Shahani, died as a result of her injuries last Wednesday.
“This was her first music festival, our first music festival. She was looking forward to it,” Namrata Shahani, Bharti’s younger sister, told CNN. “For the first time in her life, she just wanted to have fun and that was taken from her.”
Scott is now facing dozens of lawsuits as a result of the tragedy; promoters Live Nation and Scoremore, Cactus Jack Records, and several others have also been named in numerous suits. Among these defendants is rapper Drake, who was making a surprise appearance onstage alongside Scott when the crowd lost control on November 5.
Speaking on the death of Ezra Blount on Sunday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted: “I am saddened to learn of Ezra’s death this evening. Our city tonight prays for his mom, dad, grandparents, other family members and classmates at this time. They will need all of our support in the months and years to come.”
The Root’s thoughts and sympathy are with Ezra’s family and all of the victims of this tragedy.
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