Two people died at a GloRilla concert in Rochester, New York, following a stampede which, according to the police, may have been the result of unfounded fears of gunfire.
The rappers from Memphis, GloRilla and Finesse2tymes, were performing at Rochester’s Main Street armory on Sunday night to a crowd of around 4,000 people. They had just finished their performance when attendees suddenly started surging toward the exits. It was about 11 p.m. when the stampede started, according to Police Department Chief David M. Smith.
At a news briefing on Monday, March 6, Officer Smith said that investigators had not found any evidence suggesting that gunshots were fired or that anyone had been shot or stabbed at the concert.
One of the attendees told a local TV station on Monday that she watched her life flash before her eyes. She told the TV station that she was lying on the ground in panic. She knew she had to get up or die as people kept running and trampling on her.
Responding officers on Sunday found three critically injured women. One of them, later identified as Rhondesia Belton, 33, a Buffalo resident, died while receiving treatment in the hospital. Belton worked for the Traffic Violations Agency in Buffalo.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown mourned Belton’s death in a tweet sent out on Monday evening, saying that her family, friends, and colleagues were devastated by the loss of “Desia,” as they lovingly called the young mother.
Rochester police announced on Monday that another woman had succumbed to her injuries and identified her on Tuesday as Brandy Miller, aged 35. They said that the third woman in critical condition was at Strong Memorial Hospital and that seven other injured people were treated for non-life-threatening injuries in area hospitals and released.
One of the security guards told the TV station that he only signed up for the job because he wanted to protect his daughter at the concert. He said she got hurt in the stampede and spent the better part of Monday in the hospital.
The police chief, Smith said that the police were investigating possible causes of the fatal incident.
Mayor Malik Evans said authorities would thoroughly investigate whether enough safety measures were in place at the venue for large crowds and that there would be accountability for the tragic incident.