A third person has succumbed to their injuries sustained while trying to exit a GloRilla concert in Rochester, NY.
Local affiliate WHAM reports that 35-year-old Aisha Stephens died on Wednesday night of injuries sustained that day. Police have confirmed that Stephens was the last remaining hospitalized victim of the crowd stampede. Seven other concert attendees sustained minor or non-life-threatening injuries.
On March 6, Digital Music News reported that at least three people were in the hospital with critical injuries. Victims Rhondesia Belton (33) and Brandy Miller (35) were the first two pronounced dead after the deadly stampede. Rochester Police say they received a phone call around 11 pm in response to gunshots fired inside the event space. But when they arrived on the scene, they found no evidence of a shooting.
“The injuries appear to be a result of a large crowd pushing towards the exits following accounts of individuals hearing what they believed to be gunshots,” the police lieutenant told the press. The city of Rochester is now investigating the incident and has barred the Main Street Armory venue from hosting any public events. The renewal of its entertainment license was also denied.
The incident mirrors a similar event at the Brixton Academy in the UK, where two people died and a woman remains seriously ill. The crowd surge event happened after an Asake concert on December 15 and the venue remains indefinitely shuttered as authorities seek answers for why the event happened. In that event, the London Ambulance Service also treated at least ten other patients, eight of whom were taken to local hospitals.
Questions have arisen on the strength of the venue doors, whether there was enough staff, or if there were enough people with medical training present. According to the medical cover provider, only five people were working when the crush happened, and no paramedics or nurses were among those at the event. Industry guidelines suggested medical cover of at least ten people with one paramedic and a nurse among them.
