Criminal investigation ongoing after deaths at Astroworld music festival

After at least eight people were killed and dozens injured in a crowd surge at the Astroworld music festival in Houston on Friday, a criminal investigation is ongoing.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said during a news conference that officials are working to "get down to the bottom of" what happened at the music festival, and "this is now a criminal investigation that's going to involve our homicide division, as well as narcotics," The Washington Post reports. The investigation is expected to last "quite some time," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (D) said.

Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña previously said "scores" of people were injured at the festival after a crowd "began to compress towards the front of the stage," causing "panic," while rapper Travis Scott was performing. An investigation will examine "what caused, one, the issue of the crowd surge, and two, what prevented people from being able to escape that situation," Peña said, per CNN. According to the Post, officials are also reviewing reports that an officer might have been drugged, with Finner saying this officer "felt a prick in his neck" before he "went unconscious."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Judge Lina Hidalgo said it "may well be that this tragedy is the result of unpredictable events, of circumstances coming together that couldn't possibly have been avoided," per The Associated Press. But Hidalgo vowed that "until we determine that, I will ask the tough questions."

Scott spoke out on Saturday and said his "prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened," adding the Houston Police Department "has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life."