Two dead after crush at GloRilla concert

Two women have died and eight other people injured in a stampede following a concert at the Main Street Armory venue in Rochester, New York.

The victims – aged 33 and 35 – were caught up in a crush after the show by US rapper GloRilla ended just after 11pm on Sunday (5 March). Another woman is in a critical condition, while seven people required hospital treatment for non-life threatening injuries.

Police have acknowledged reports that gunfire was heard, causing the crowd to panic, but add that has not been confirmed.

“As people began to exit, the crowd began to surge and rushed towards the exit,” says Rochester Police Department chief David M. Smith. “Officers that were detailed outside of the venue were eventually able to make their way inside, where they located three females with significant injuries. Officers, security and EMS provided life-saving measures on the three females before they were transported to Strong Hospital.

“As the night went on, an additional seven people arrived at local hospitals with non-life threatening injuries from the event. Preliminary reports from people at the scene indicate that these injuries were caused from being trampled. We do not have any evidence of gunshots being fired or anyone being shot or stabbed.”

“Our investigators are interviewing surviving victims, concertgoers, security, and everyone else that has potential information as to what led to this tragedy”

The venue has a capacity of 6,500 for concerts, and investigations into the incident are ongoing.

“We are hearing many reports of potential causes, including crowd size, shots fired, pepper spray, and more,” adds Smith. “Our investigators are interviewing surviving victims, concertgoers, security, and everyone else that has potential information as to what led to this tragedy. We are working with the fire marshal’s office to help determine number of concertgoers related to the capacity of the venue.

“In addition, we are working with various other licensing agencies such as code enforcement, the New York State Liquor Authority, and others, to verify compliance with regulatory safety measures and to hold those that were not in compliance, accountable for their actions.”

Posting on Twitter, GloRilla – real name Gloria Woods – says: “I am devastated and heartbroken over the tragic deaths that happened after Sunday’s show. My fans mean the world to me, praying for their families and for a speedy recovery of everyone affected.”

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