UPDATED 11/14, 10:23 p.m. ET: Ezra Blount, the nine-year-old who was in a coma after being trampled at Astroworld Festival, has died.
Blount’s family told Houston’s ABC 13 that the boy died on Sunday. The family’s attorney, Ben Crump, released a statement about his passing.
“The Blount family tonight is grieving the incomprehensible loss of their precious young son,” Crump said. “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.”
After Blount’s death, and the death of 22-year-old student Bharti Shahani earlier this week, 10 concert-goers have now died as a result of the Houston event.
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The father of Ezra Blount, the nine-year-old boy who was trampled during Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival, is speaking out for the first time since the deadly events.
Treston Blount told ABC 13 his son continues to fight for his life and remains in a medically induced coma after being trampled at the annual music event. Treston described Ezra as a huge Scott fan, and said he immediately jumped at the chance to take his son to the opening day of Astroworld Fest last week.
“He was ready to go,” Treston said. “When I found out that he was a big fan [of Scott] I was like, “Oh yeah, we gotta go, we gotta go see Travis live.”
Treston told the outlet he and his son made it a point to stay further back in the crowd; however, once a countdown for Scott’s headlining performance was displayed, he and the boy were caught up in the stampede.
“It was like a horrifying movie. We were in the back—way in the back—and I figured, ‘OK, this is cool ’cause, you know, the front can get a little wild,” the father recalled. “The countdown started, and everything was cool for a split second.”
The a wave of concert-goers began pushing themselves to the front of the stage, causing others to panic and fall to the ground. Treston said he remembered, “I can’t breathe,” shortly before he passed out. His son was among those who was trampled during the chaos, but was eventually removed from the crowd by a good Samaritan. Once he regained consciousness, Treston was informed Ezra had been hospitalized and shown a picture of his son in the coma.
“Just to see him in that condition, I just wasn’t ready for that,” he continued. “I could tell that he was damaged. I’m not ready to lose my boy at all. We still got a bunch of living to do… that’s my boy.”
Authorities continue to investigate the deadly incident that left nine people dead. The Blount family has since set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the costs of the boy’s medical bills. As of Saturday night, the Blounts had raised a total of $64,668 out their $200,000 goal.
The family has also filed a negligence lawsuit against Scott, Cactus Jack Records, Live Nation, as well as promoter ScoreMore Management. The suit accuses the Astrworld’s organizers of failing to stop the concert immediately after a “mass casualty event” was declared.
