LOCAL: ASTROWORLD TRAGEDY: TRAVIS SCOTT WILL NOT FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES

By Sara Weisfeldt, Rosa Flores, Alli Rosenbloom and Andy Rose, CNN

the department will release the entire criminal offense investigation in the coming weeks.

The Astroworld tragedy left 10 people dead when the concert quickly turned into chaos as concertgoers were crushed, with many struggling to breathe as people crowded near the stage during Scott’s performance.

The turmoil prompted officials to declare the concert a “mass casualty event,” police said at the time. It was unclear at the time what Scott saw from the stage and whether he was aware of the conditions in the crowd.

without a second thought to our safety. But a tragedy isn’t always a crime, and not every death is a homicide,” Ogg also said. “This grand jury’s determination has no impact on the many civil lawsuits pending.”

The victims died of “compression asphyxia,” according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.

The youngest victim was nine years old. Multiple lawsuits have been filed against Scott and other organizers, including the entertainment company Live Nation. The defendants have denied the allegations that negligence in the planning and promotion of the festival contributed to the deaths.

“While waiting patiently for the District Attorney’s decision to not file charges, Travis Scott has been inaccurately and wrongly singled out, despite stopping the show three separate times and being unaware of the events as they were unfolding,” Scott’s spokesperson Ted Anastasiou told CNN Thursday. “Now that this chapter is closed, we hope for the government efforts to focus on what is most important - stopping future heartbreaking tragedies like Astroworld from ever occurring again.”

“Criminally speaking there is no case,” Scott’s attorney, Kent Schaffer told CNN by phone.

Schaffer delivered the news to Scott, who is out of the country for a concert.

“He is ecstatic. It’s a huge weight that has been removed from his shoulders. He’s looking forward to getting back home after being cleared by the grand jury,” Schaffer told CNN.

The grand jury met for six hours and homicide detectives testified, according to Schaffer.

Houston Police Department chief Troy Finner said on Thursday that

METRO Celebrates New Bus Shelter Artwork in Historic Independence Heights

By StyleMagazine.com - Newswire

METRO Board Members and staff along with U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Houston City Council Member Karla Cisneros and leaders from the Independence Heights neighborhood cut the ribbon on new bus shelters designed in partnership with the community.

"At METRO we strive to invest in communities that we serve," said METRO Board Chair Sanjay Ramabhadran.

"We are honored to make this investment, but also help share these special stories of perseverance and of the pioneers of Independence Heights."

The Independence Heights neighborhood is a historic Black community and the first city incorporated by African Americans in Texas.

The new bus shelter designs feature the neighborhood’s rich history and stories of the many notable figures of the community. "It is a project that has been a labor of love ... When people are riding, they will see pictures of the first mayors, pictures of young

He continued to perform nearly an hour after injuries were reported, but did not know of the mass casualty declaration until the following morning, his lawyer said at the time.

Earlier in the day, authorities at the festival reported unruly behavior, with a handful of injured attendees taken to the hospital the day of the festival, Houston Fire Department logs showed at the time.

These earlier incidents are part of what led to the crowd conditions, with Houston Police Department’s lead homicide investigator Mike Barrow saying during Thursday’s press conference that a key cause of the compaction in the crowd was the early large number of concertgoers gathering at Scott’s main stage in anticipation of his show.

In a statement released after the deadly event, Scott said he was “distraught by the situation and desperately wishes to share his condolences and provide aid to (the victims) as soon as possible.” people in the schools, pictures of the early businesses," said Tanya Debose, executive director of the Independence Heights Redevelopment Council. www. StyleMagazine .com

The four shelters are located at Main @ 32nd Main @ 43rd Airline @ 34th and Yale @ Cockerel. METRO will continue to partner with the community for more designs, which will be installed over time.