A tenth person has died from injuries suffered at last weekend’s Astroworld Festival. Nine-year-old Ezra Blount passed away Sunday, according to a statement released by his family’s attorney.
“The Blount family tonight is grieving the incomprehensible loss of their precious young son,” the Blount family attorney Ben Crump said in a statement. “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.”
Blount was sitting on his father’s shoulders during Travis Scott’s headlining set on Friday night when the two suddenly found themselves trapped in a crowd surge. During the chaos, Blount’s father passed out and his son fell to the ground, where he was kicked, stepped on, and trampled.
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Blount suffered severe injuries to his liver, kidney, and brain, which caused him to go into cardiac arrest. Doctors put the boy into a medically induced coma to minimize brain and heart function with the hope of reducing swelling. Unfortunately, the boy succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.
Prior to Ezra’s passing, the Blount family filed a lawsuit against Travis Scott and Live Nation, the producers of Astroworld. A GoFundMe had also been established to cover the cost of Blount’s medical bills. As of Sunday evening, the family had raised close to $70,000 in donations.
Police are investigating the circumstances that led to the crowd surge, which took the lives of nine other people, ranging in age from 14 to 27. Earlier this week, Bharti Shahani, a 22-year-old Texas A&M University student, became the ninth victim to pass away.
Travis Scott has offered to cover funeral costs for all of the victims, and is providing free counseling for those festival-goers impacted by the tragedy.