SIU student Jacob Jurinek was one of eight people killed at the Astroworld Music Festival on Friday night. 

Sylvester Turner, Mayor of Houston, Texas, confirmed on Saturday morning that 8 people died and several were injured following the aftermath of rapper and singer Travis Scott’s concert. 

More than two dozen people were transported to local hospitals from the concert venue. Thirteen of these people continued to receive care at the hospital. 

All of the dead are reported to be ages 14-27 years old. 

More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed against Scott and the organizers of Astroworld, making claims of gross negligence and incitement of violence.

The Houston Police Department is conducting a criminal investigation. Police Chief Troy Finner sent a tweet saying he had met with Scott and the performer’s head of security before the concert and expressed concerns about public safety.

Jurinek attended the concert with a friend, 21-year-old friend Franco Patino, a University of Dayton student from Naperville, Illinois, who was also killed. Patino was a mechanical engineering technology major with a minor in human movement biomechanics and a member of Alpha Psi Lambda fraternity.

Memorial High School in Houston, Texas, reported one of its students, 9th grader John Hilgert, was also killed. 

Another victim, 16 year-old Brianna Rodriguez, was confirmed dead by her family to People. Rodriguez’s family created a GoFundMe stating she was “beautiful, vibrant,” and had a passion for, “dancing and now she’s dancing her way to heavenly pearly gates.”

Rudy Pena, a man from Laredo, Texas, was confirmed dead as a result of the Astroworld tragedy by his family to the Laredo Morning Times. Laredo’s sister, Jennifer Pena, told that newspaper her brother was a “huge fan” of Travis Scott and “loved his music”. 

“My brother was the sweetest person, friendly, outgoing, he had many friends because he was always there for everyone,” Jennifer Pena said.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Services released an image of a deceased man on Saturday in hopes that the public would be able to identify him. The man is believed to be in his early 20s, with short black or dark brown wavy hair, and a mustache and a goatee.  He was wearing size 11 Nike sneakers, was 6ft 2 and weighed 498 pounds. 

Scott released a statement via Instagram stories on Saturday evening.

“I just want to send out prayers to the ones that [were] lost last night. We’re actually working right now to identify the families so we can help assist them through this tough time,” Scott said. “My fans really mean the world to me. I always just want to leave them with a positive experience. Anytime I can make out anything that goes on I stop the show and help them get the help they need.”

Several videos were released following the events showing Scott continuing his performance atop a floating platform despite the chaos that ensued beneath him. 

Concert goers made several statements regarding a lack of safety. 

In a viral video, a young woman, identified as 22 year-old Sienna Faith on Instagram, can be seen pleading with a cameraman to stop the concert.  

She recalled the events in a series of posts to her Instagram account. 

“There were so many people… the rush of people became tighter and tighter. Breathing became something only a few were capable of. The rest were crushed or unable to breathe in the thick, hot air,” she said. 

A video of 18 year-old Ayden Cruz went viral over the weekend. Cruz can be seen on the same platform pleading with the cameraman to stop the show. “People are fucking dying,” Cruz said.

Travis Scott’s partner, Kylie Jenner, who attended the event, also released a statement via Instagram stories. 

“I want to make it clear [Travis and I] weren’t aware of any fatalities until the news came out after the show, and in no world would have continued filming or performing,” Jenner said. 

Editor’s note: This article was last updated on 11/09/2021 at 12:43 p.m.

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