Travis Scott’s attorney is claiming that the rapper “did not know what was going on” at the Astroworld Festival that left 9 dead and hundreds injured until the following morning.
On Friday, November, 5, the 30-year-old was performing on stage in Houston, Tex., when an unruly crowd surge turned into a mass casualty incident.
Scott has since found himself at the center of public scrutiny, after many have blamed the “OUT WEST” rapper for allegedly not doing more to stop the concert once fans in the crowd began suffering serious and even fatal injuries.
His attorney, Edwin F. McPherson appeared on Good Morning Americaon Friday, November 12 — exactly one week after the deadly event — to claim that his client was unaware of the severity of the situation until much later.
While Scott continues to face backlash over the incident, McPherson claimed during the interview that there were more factors to consider before blaming the rapper, insisting there “obviously was a systemic breakdown that we need to get to the bottom of before we start pointing fingers at anyone.”
He also said that the message that authorities had declared the event as a mass casualty incident “absolutely did not” get relayed to Scott or his team during the show.
“In fact,” McPherson said, “we’ve seen footage of police half an hour later just walking about and not looking like it was a mass casualty event.”
“But clearly the important thing is that never got to Travis, that never got to Travis’ crew,” the lawyer continued. “He’s up there trying to perform — he does not have any ability to know what’s going on down below, certainly on a mass level.”
McPherson also insisted that Scott wasn’t fully aware of the night’s tragic events until the next morning, despite previous reports that the music mogul was told the news following the concert Friday night.
“Travis didn’t really understand the full effect of everything until the next morning,” the attorney added. “Truly he did not know what was going on.”
McPherson’s statements seem to contradict other allegations that the “goosebumps” rapper found out about the devastating incident while at Dave & Buster’s after the concert — and that he left the bar immediately after hearing the news, per reports TMZ.
Scott’s baby mama Kylie Jenner— who was also in attendance for the event with the couple’s 3-year-old daughter Stormi — also posted a statement following the concert, which appeared to tell a different story than what the attorney claimed on GMA.
Jenner also insisted in her post the next day that the pair learned there were fatalities at the event “after the show,” which seems to suggest that Scott learned the news that night.
Either way, fans are still slamming the rapper for continuing to sing after people began getting taken out on stretchers and fans were screaming for help. The show reportedly didn’t stop until 40 minutes after the crowd surge began.
Scott’s lawyer attempted to defend his client against claims that he was ignoring the concertgoers who desperately needed medical attention by maintaining that the lights and audio while on stage hindered his ability to properly assess the situation.
“Understand that when he’s up on the stage and he has flashpots going off around him and he has an ear monitor that has music blasting through it and his own voice, he can’t hear anything, he can’t see anything,” McPherson continued.
It is not yet clear whether or not Scott will be held responsible for the devastating incident, although he has already been hit with a growing number of lawsuits.
