The family of Aisha Haskins-Stephens, the third woman killed in a stampede at a concert by rappers GloRilla and Finesse2tymes earlier this month, has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
Haskins-Stephens, 35, and two other women suffered fatal injuries when onlookers rushed to an exit from the Main Street Armory in Rochester, New York, on March 5.
Rhondesia Belton, 33, died shortly after being taken to an area hospital. Brandy Miller, 35, died the following day. Seven other people sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Related story: Death toll climbs to 3 from Stampede to GloRilla concert in New York
While the cause of the stampede is still under investigation, Crump released a Press release on Tuesday, March 21, calling for heightened precautions in concert halls across the country.
“It is disturbing that after the deaths caused by a crowd stampede at the Astroworld Festival, more precautions were not taken in the concert halls,” the lawyer said. “Aisha’s death was completely preventable and we call for transparency from Main Street Armory, GloRilla and event staff as the investigation into how this tragedy unfolded continues.”
Crump added that it is “imperative” that concert organizers learn from previous tragedies and that those responsible for the influx of crowds in Rochester be held accountable.
“We will continue to pray for Aisha and her family as we seek justice in this tragedy – and do all we can to ensure nothing like this happens again,” he said.
The day after the fatal incident, Rochester Police Chief David M. Smith said preliminary reports indicated chaos erupted when concert attendees mistakenly thought they heard gunshots.
“We have no evidence that any shots were fired or that anyone was shot or stabbed at the scene,” Smith told reporters.
The Rochester tragedy came after ten people, including a 9-year-old boy, were killed in a crowd at rapper Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival in Houston in November 2021.
Crump and co-lawyers Alex Hilliard, Bob Hilliard and Paul Grinke have filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of dozens of people they say were injured in the Astroworld tragedy. The lawsuit named Scoremore Mgmt, Live Nation Entertainment, Travis Scott, Cactus Jack Records and others.
During a phone call with Urban Hollywood 411 at the time, Hilliard said his clients were traumatized and suffered physical and emotional wounds. The attorney said he expected up to “5,000 clients” injured at Astroworld to come forward.
Several lawsuits were eventually filed. In October 2022, another attorney told NBC News that his client had settled a lawsuit against Travis Scott and Live Nation.
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