Houston's police chief blamed Travis Scott for not pulling the plug on the deadly Astroworld concert as new footage showed cops cas...
Houston's police chief blamed Travis Scott for not pulling the plug on the deadly Astroworld concert as new footage showed cops casually filming the Travis Scott show nearly 30 minutes after a mass casualty event was declared.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner refused to provide a timeline for the police response after a sizable group of the 50,000 in attendance pushed toward the stage at NRG Park during last Friday's concert, resulting in the deaths of eight people and injuring hundreds more.
When asked about the timing of the police response after it became apparent things had become dangerous, Finner said the police department was still in the early stages of its investigation and that he was 'not gonna discuss timelines.'
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner (pictured) held a press conference on Wednesday and offered updates on the investigation into the deadly Astroworld concert
Eight people died and hundreds more were injured at last Friday's Astroworld concert in Houston after a sizable group of the 50,000 in attendance pushed toward the stage
Video and photos obtained by TMZ shows members of the Houston Police Department calmly walking around and even pulling out their cellphones to record Scott's performance after the Fire Chief declared a 'mass casualty event' at 9:38 pm.
A set of photos with the time stamps 9:57 pm shows police officers recording the rappers performance, 19 minutes after the chief's declaration, TMZ reported.
TMZ also obtained video of officers casually strolling past the stage shot at 10:02 pm, 25 minutes after the mass casualty declaration.
When asked about how the concert came to an end, and why Scott was able to complete his set, the chief said investigators are still looking into the specifics during a press conference Wednesday.
'I don't know, and that's part of the investigation,' he told reporters, adding 'We've been looking and the timelines have moved and that's why we shouldn't jump ahead of things, lets just wait. that's part of the investigation.'
Finner, who said he did not have a close relationship with Scott and had only met him twice, said whether or not the show went on was not up to the police department.
'Authorities ability to end the show - we don't hold the plug, okay? But it's always in a plan, there's always discussion of how that would happen and we had those discussions with the promoters,' Finner said.
'The ultimate authority to end the show is with production and the entertainer,' he added.
Scott has been widely criticized for continuing to play on for 38 minutes after Houston PD declared a mass casualty incident
A Houston police officer pictured helping the crowd at last Friday's deadly Astroworld concert
Scott has been widely criticized for continuing to play on for 38 minutes after Houston PD declared a mass casualty incident and for attending a party with fellow rapper Drake in the hours after the tragedy.
But Scott's lawyer Ed McPherson told DailyMail.com that the rapper did pause the show when he spotted fans in trouble and was wearing an earpiece during the gig which limited what he could hear.
McPherson also revealed Scott was not allowed to stop the show himself due to a security protocol that put the decision in the hands of the producers. He said that when told to stop, he did.
McPherson said: 'There's very little that you can see [from the stage]. You're up there to perform. Your job is to entertain the crowd and get the crowd going.
'You can't see these things [crowd trouble]. You certainly can't hear anything. This was in the middle of the night and that compounds things on stage. All you see is black in front of you.'
During the press conference, Finner also walked back claims that a security guard was pricked in the neck with an illegal substance while trying to restrain someone, causing the guard to fall unconscious.
Finner said the guard's story was 'not consistent' with non-consensual drug injection.
'He said he was struck in his head,' Finner said. 'He woke up in a security tent. He says that no one injected drugs in him.'
Police are still trying to determine whether any of the deaths occurred because of the surge or if other factors later came into play, such as accidental fatal overdoses, a source close to the investigation told the Wall Street Journal.
There were 300 people were injured in the crush, including 11 who went into cardiac arrest and dozens more who were knocked unconscious.
Scott released a statement in the aftermath of the tragedy in which he said he was 'absolutely devastated' by the loss of life.
The Houston native went on: 'My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at the Astroworld Festival.
'Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life.
'I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need.'
He has since offered to pay the cost of the victim's funerals and has set up a counseling service for fans affected by the tragedy.
But he is also facing legal action from some of the wounded, with 68 signing up to a lawsuit filed Sunday that could cost him millions in damages and accuses him of 'inciting mayhem'.
The suit, filed in Houston's Harris County court, claims Scott 'had incited mayhem and chaos at prior events' and that 'defendants knew or should have known of (Scott's) prior conduct.'
A second lawsuit has been filed by attorney Ben Crump on behalf of concertgoer Noah Gutierrez, 21, who described 'a scene of chaos and desperation.'
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