Astroworld victim’s family says she’d ‘still be alive’ if concert stopped earlier

The family of a teen victim at Travis Scott’s fatal Astroworld concert has said she’d “still be alive” if the show stopped earlier.

The family of a 16-year-old teen killed at Travis Scott’s Astroworld concert says the victim would “still be alive” if the rapper’s team had ”shut down the concert earlier.”

Brianna Rodriguez, 16, was one of eight people who died during the US rapper’s performance in Houston late Friday evening.

Rodriguez was found unresponsive after losing her friends in the crowd stampede during the gig.

Her aunt Iris Rodriguez, 38, has revealed the heartbreaking final moments of her niece’s life and also slammed Scott’s team, saying they should have cancelled the gig earlier in the day after scores of people jumped over barriers.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Iris said she was watching the news at around 5pm, where she saw all the people trying to get in the venue “tramping each other.”

“I texted my sister-in-law saying, ‘Please tell Brianna to be careful.’ She said, ‘She’s fine, she’s been texting me, we’re having a blast or whatever.’ So what happened?

“I really believe in my heart this should have been shut down in the afternoon when they saw all these people going crazy. Had they done that, maybe she would have still been here.”

Brianna Rodriguez was one of the victims who lost her life during Travis Scott's set at Astroworld Festival. Picture: Facebook

Iris said she doesn’t want to directly blame Scott for her niece’s death.

“He’s a father, you know. I would never want anything like this to happen to his babies. I don’t know if it’s about the money, or he didn’t know what was going on,” Iris told the publication.

“I just want to say to Travis that Brianna loved him and that I’m sad his team weren’t able to keep these kids safe. And because of that, we no longer have our shining star.

“I am yet to hear from his team. They haven’t reached out to our family.

“It’s tragic for all of the victims. These young people went there to have a good time. They did not expect to wake up that morning and never go home again.

“My heart goes out to everybody. We understand, we pray for them. All we have now is memories keeping her alive in our hearts. This is how our Lord wanted her to go; we can’t question him. We just hope she went peacefully and she’s forever going to be missed.”

On Saturday, the rapper addressed the incident in an Instagram video, saying he was “devastated” for the loved ones affected by the tragedy, adding he “could never image the severity of the situation.”

Travis Scott performing during 2021 Astroworld Festival at NRG Park. Picture: Erika Goldring/WireImage

“My fans really mean the world to me and I always wanna leave them with a positive experience and anytime I can make out anything that’s going on, I stop the show and help them get the help they need, you know?” he said.

Scott, whose real name is Jacques Bermon Webster II, added that he was working with the proper authorities and is asking fans from the event to do the same.

“If you have any information, please just contact your local authorities. Everyone continue to just keep your prayers.”

Scott ended the story by saying he was “devastated” over what transpired and reiterated that he could “never imagine anything like this happening.”

“I’m gonna do everything I can to keep you guys updated and keep you guys informed on what’s going on.”

Meanwhile, his girlfriend Kylie Jenner said she was heartbroken, “Travis and I are broken and devastated. My thoughts and prayers are with all who lost their lives, were injured or affected in anyway by yesterday’s events.

“And also for Travis who I know cares deeply for his fans and the Houston community.

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

“I am sending my deepest condolences to all the families during this difficult time and will be praying for the healing of everyone who has been impacted.”

Concertgoers tried to stop the show during the crowd rush. Picture: Twitter,

Scott is now facing numerous lawsuits following the disaster.

According to Billboard, a festival attendee, Manuel Souza, filed a petition in Harris County District Court against Scott, organiser ScoreMore and concert company Live Nation.

The lawsuit alleges that Scott and his producing partners placed emphasis on “a motivation for profit at the expense of concertgoers’ health and safety.”

The plaintiff’s lawyer, Steve Kherkher, wrote: “Defendants failed to properly plan and conduct the concert in a safe manner.

“Instead, they consciously ignored the extreme risks of harm to concertgoers, and, in some cases actively encouraged and fomented dangerous behaviours.”

Alongside Drake, Scott has also been accused of “inciting mayhem” during the Friday night incident.

This story originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission