HOUSTON — A 22-year-old college senior who was critically injured at the Astroworld festival in Houston has died, the family’s lawyer said Thursday, making her the ninth person to die in a crowd surge after fans pushed toward the stage during a performance by headliner Travis Scott.
Bharti Shahani died Wednesday, attorney James Lassiter said during a news conference.
“Bharti was a shining star in the community,” Lassiter said. “She was a sister, a daughter, a high-achieving college student about to graduate from Texas A&M University with high, high grades.”
Hundreds of others were injured in the surge Friday night as Scott took to the stage. A criminal investigation into the deaths at Astroworld is underway.
Scott was only minutes into his headlining show at the Astroworld music festival when at least one Houston officer radioed over a police channel that the main stage had been compromised by a massive crowd surge.
The police radio traffic from the Friday night concert, obtained by the Houston Chronicle, reveals how quickly law enforcement became aware of the rising danger in the throng of concertgoers shortly after the star rapper began performing at the sold-out music festival, which drew about 50,000 people.
Hundreds of other fans were injured as a mass of bodies pressed toward the stage, and nearly a week later, at least two were still in critical condition. They include a 9-year-old boy whose family says was placed in a medically induced coma.
Authorities have opened a criminal investigation but have not yet assigned any fault.
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