Travis Scott's Offer To Pay For Funeral Expenses Denied By 9-Year-Old Astroworld Victim's Family
Travis Scott's offer to pay for an Astroworld victim's funeral came up short, as the family of the victim has rejected the offer. The development came after 10 people died at his Houston Astroworld concert in early November, where, according to USA Today, 50,000 people were in attendance. The crowds got out of hand throughout the night, with attendees pushing, shoving, and trampling on each other. After video footage showed attempts by fans to stop the show, those in attendance placed blame of the tragedy on Scott, who now faces dozens of lawsuits, inducing one seeking more than $750 million, according to NBC.
The youngest to tragically lose his life at the event was 9-year-old Ezra Blount, who was on his father's shoulders when a crowd surge caused the dad to lose consciousness. Once Ezra's father awoke, he learned his son had been hospitalized and had suffered brain, kidney, and liver injuries, NBC News reported. He lost his life at Texas Children's Hospital on November 14 and is the tragedy's 10th victim. In response to the losses of life, the rapper's lawyer Daniel Petrocelli released a statement. "Travis is committed to doing his part to help the families who have suffered and begin the long process of healing in the Houston community," wrote Petrocelli, per AP News.
Yet, the Blount family turned down Scott's offer to pay funeral expenses, citing a clear reason.
Victim's family says Travis Scott should be held liable
Despite lawyers for Travis Scott claiming the artist's offer to pay for funerals of the victims of his Astroworld concert would have no effect on their right to file a suit against the star, parents of 9-year-old Ezra Blount turned down the money. "I have no doubt Mr. Scott feels remorse," the family's attorney stated, according to Rolling Stone. "His journey ahead will be painful. He must face and hopefully see that he bears some of the responsibility for this tragedy."
Rolling Stone also reported it wasn't just the money that the Blount family turned down from Scott's camp. The rapper reportedly asked for an in-person meeting with the family following the death of their son, to which their attorney responded with, "We were pretty firm. With all due respect, no. This isn't a photo-op story here. This is a 'who's responsible and why' type of investigation. And he's on the short list."
Ezra's grandmother also spoke out on behalf of her family, going into detail about the pain their family is suffering from the loss of their loved one. "As a parent, Treston cannot help but agonize over the terrible idea that Ezra's last minutes were filled with terror, suffering, suffocation and worst of all surrounded by strangers, his dad unconscious underneath the uncontrolled crowd," said Tericia Blount, according to Rolling Stone.