2 dead and others injured at GloRilla concert in Rochester
UPDATE 2 (3/9): A third person has died.
UPDATE (3/7): The death toll rose to two on Monday after a stampede at a GloRilla concert in Rochester, New York, CBS News reports. One woman, 33-year-old Rhondesia Belton, was pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to local police on Monday morning. The second victim, currently only identified as a 35-year-old woman, died from injuries later on Monday. Another 35-year-old woman is in critical condition.
Police tell CBS News that they responded to a report of gunfire around 11 PM, and that "the injuries appear to be as a result of a large crowd pushing towards the exits following accounts of individuals hearing what they believed to be gunshots." However, they have yet to confirm that any gunshots were fired.
An initial report on Monday by The Associated Press reads:
The injuries at Sunday night’s concert featuring rappers GloRilla and Finesse2tymes were caused by people being trampled, Police Chief David M. Smith said at a news briefing Monday. “We do not have any evidence of gunshots being fired or of anyone being shot or stabbed at the scene,” Smith said.
As the concert at Rochester’s Main Street Armory ended just after 11 p.m., people exiting the venue began to surge dangerously, Smith said. Police made their way inside and found three women with critical injuries, he said.
A 33-year-old woman died died at a hospital, and the other women two were in critical condition Monday, police said said. Seven additional people were taken to hospitals and treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, Smith said.
[...] While there is no evidence of shots being fired, Smith said, police are investigating several possible causes of the fatal surge, including “possibly crowd size, shots fired, pepper spray and other contributing factors.”
Read more here. Following the incident, GloRilla tweeted, "I’m just now hearing about what happened wtf, praying everybody is ok." She later added, "I am devastated & heartbroken over the tragic deaths that happened after Sunday’s show. My fans mean the world to me, praying for their families & for a speedy recovery of everyone affected."