The boy, identified as Ezra Blount by his family, had been in a medically induced coma in an attempt to overcome brain, liver and kidney trauma, according to a statement from Crump.
“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,” the statement from Crump said.
Bernon Blount previously told CNN his grandson was in Houston to see “his favorite artist” and attended the concert with his father, Treston Blount.
“When my son went to the concert, he had my grandson on his shoulder,” Blount said. “All the people pushed in and he could not breathe so he ended up passing out because of all the pressure that was being applied to his body. And when he passed out, Ezra fell off his shoulder and fell into the crowd.”
When Bernon’s son came to, Ezra had already been taken to Texas Children’s Hospital as a John Doe.
“They did not know anything about him, his name or anything because he got separated from my son,” Bernon said.
Blount said Ezra “had cardiac arrest which damaged his heart.” The boy also had damage to his liver and lungs and had swelling in his brain, Blount said. CNN was not previously able to independently confirm Ezra’s medical status with the hospital.
The family is “devastated because this was supposed to be a father-son outing for them to bond and it has turned into something horrible and tragic,” Blount previously said.
“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. May God give them strength. RIP Ezra.”
CNN has reached out to the Harris County medical examiner’s office and the Blount family. CNN has also reached out to Travis Scott’s team for comment, as well as other defendants in a lawsuit filed by the Blount family accusing organizers of negligence.
Details emerge of an event in chaos
Shortly before 5 p.m the Houston Police Department reported “dangerous crowd conditions” at one stage. Eight minutes before Scott took the stage at 9 p.m., more than 260 people had already been treated, according to the logs, which did not specify the type of treatment. And a 9:18 p.m. entry noted a “crush injury.”
Less than half an hour into Scott’s performance, the log states: “This is when it all got real.”
“Multiple people trampled, passed out at front of stage” at 9:33 p.m, police reported. Minutes later, a police operator reported five 911 calls about “unconscious persons in crowd. Report of possible CPR.”
The audio included reports of breached barricades, people jumping gates, and breathing and cardiac problems, the newspaper reported. The radio chatter continued until 10:15 p.m., the Chronicle reported. CNN has reached out to the Houston Police Department for comment.
It is unclear what Scott saw from the stage and whether he was aware of the crowd conditions, but he continued to perform until about 10:10 p.m. That was after officials declared the concert a “mass casualty event,” according to Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña last Saturday.
Scott did not know of the mass casualty declaration until the following morning, his lawyer said Friday.
“That never got to Travis, that never got to Travis’s crew,” attorney Ed McPherson told ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Live Nation said November 6 it was “heartbroken” over Astroworld and is cooperating with authorities as they investigate why the event turned deadly. Last week, the company said it was “working on ways to support attendees, the families of victims, and staff” by providing mental health counseling and will help with hospital costs.
CNN’s Rosa Flores, Ed Lavandera, Ray Sanchez, Melissa Alonso, Raja Razek and Aya Elamroussi contributed to this report.
Source : Nbcnewyork
