9 hurt, 1 dead in stampede at GloRilla concert in New York

Karen Matthews Associated Press

Image of ambulance with flashing red lights

(MGN)

Police say one person is dead and two are fighting for their lives after unfounded fears of gunfire led to a stampede at the end of a rap concert in upstate New York. The Memphis rap stars GloRilla and Finesse2tymes had finished performing Sunday night at Rochester’s Main Street Armory when people exiting just after 11 p.m. began to surge dangerously, Police Chief David M. Smith said at a news briefing Monday.

Chief Smith shared that they have found no evidence of a shooting inside the concert featuring rappers GloRilla and Finesse2tymes at the Main Street Armory.

Police found three badly injured women in the auditorium. One, identified as Rhondesia Belton, 33, of Buffalo, died at a hospital. The others, both 35, from Rochester and Syracuse, were in critical condition Monday, police said. Seven additional people were treated at area hospitals for injuries that were not life-threatening. Police say the injuries appear to be the result of a crowd pushing toward the exits Sunday night following accounts of what people believed to be gunfire.

Mayor Malik Evans called the fatal stampede “totally unacceptable” and promised a thorough investigation into whether venue operators had the necessary safety measures in place for a large crowd.

“We are going to hold people accountable for what happened last night, period,” Evans said, though he cautioned that it was too early in the investigation to assign blame. “I intend to get to the bottom of this.”

The venue’s next scheduled show, a Saturday performance by the rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, has been canceled.