UPDATED 3/9, 3:40 p.m. ET: Rochester, New York Police have confirmed that a third woman has died from her injuries sustained in a stampede following a GloRilla concert.
As reported by CBS News, authorities confirmed the death of 35-year-old Syracuse, New York woman Aisha Stephens. She died at a hospital on Wednesday after she was in critical condition as a result of her injuries.
UPDATED 3/9, 11:30 a.m. ET: On Wednesday, police in Rochester revoked the entertainment license from Main Street Armory, the venue where two concertgoers died during a stampede at the end of a Glorilla concert.
“It is one step we can immediately take to ensure that the events of Sunday night are not repeated,” Rochester police chief David Smith said, per Rolling Stone. “The bottom line is, lives were lost, and we need to take steps to make sure that no lives are lost in the future if this was indeed something that was preventable.”
The move prevents the venue from hosting any “public entertainment” at the moment, which includes concerts. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie was scheduled to perform at Main Street Armory on Saturday, March 11, and it’s unclear if the concert will still go ahead as originally planned.
UPDATED 3/6, 8 p.m. ET: The Associated Press is reporting that another person has died in Rochester, bringing the total to two.
The outlet previously wrote that in addition to the death of 33-year-old Rhondesia Belton, two 35-year-olds were in critical condition and seven others were treated for non-life threatening injuries.
See original story from 3/6/2023 below.
One person has died and at least nine others have been injured following a stampede during a GloRilla concert in Rochester, New York on Sunday (March 5), per the Associated Press.
The stampede was reportedly caused over unfounded fears of a shooting at the concert, which took place at Main Street Armory, according to Police Chief David M. Smith. In a news briefing on Monday, he confirmed that a 33-year-old woman named Rhondesia Belton did not survive her injuries. “We do not have any evidence of gunshots being fired or of anyone being shot or stabbed at the scene,” Smith said. At least seven of those injured were taken to nearby hospitals for injuries that have been described as not life-threatening.
“What began last night as a night of live music and fun for the performer GloRilla ended in tragedy with one person dead and two more fighting for their lives,” Smith added. Police are investigating what caused the initial panic that led to the fatal stampede, including “possibly crowd size, shots fired, pepper spray and other contributing factors.” Rochester Police Lt. Nicholas Adams said in a statement there was “no evidence to support a shooting having occurred.” The crowd crush occurred as concert attendees began exiting the venue.
In a tweet following the concert on Sunday, GloRilla said that she is “praying everybody is ok.” Complex has reached out to her representatives for comment.
I’m just now hearing about what happened wtf 😢😢😢praying everybody is ok 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Rochester Mayor Malik Evans called the stampede “a tragedy of epic proportions,” and confirmed there will be further investigation. “We are going to hold people accountable for what happened last night, period,” he added.
