Neuqua Valley Grad Among Those Killed at Astroworld Festival in Houston

Neuqua Valley Grad Among Those Killed at Astroworld Festival in Houston
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Neuqua Valley Grad

A Neuqua Valley High School graduate, Franco Patino, was one of eight people killed at the Astroworld Festival that took place in Houston, according to WGN. As reported by WGN, the 21-year-old was a big fan of Travis Scott and went to the festival with his best friend to celebrate his friend’s birthday. His friend was also among those killed.

“Our school community is saddened by the tragic loss of two former Neuqua Valley students – Jacob Jurinek, class of 2019 and Franco Patino, class of 2018,” said Neuqua Valley High School Principal Lance Fuhrer in a statement. “We are supporting our students and staff who knew these two young men and offer our deepest condolences to their families. We honor their friendship that has roots at Neuqua Valley and grieve alongside the communities of both the University of Dayton and Southern Illinois University.”

What Happened?

On Friday, during a Travis Scott performance at the Astroworld Festival, there was a crowd surge where fans started pushing their way through people to get to the front toward the stage during the rapper’s performance at NRG Park stadium. It’s still not clear how this started.

“The crowd began to compress towards the front of the stage, and that caused some panic, and it started causing some injuries,” said Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña at a news conference reported by the Associated Press. “People began to fall out, become unconscious, and it created additional panic.”

As of Saturday, a total of eight people have been reported dead and 13 out of 25 people who were taken to the hospital are still hospitalized. Five of those hospitalized are under 18 years of age. The youngest person who died was 14 years old. No one is reported missing.

“This incident is being thoroughly investigated and reviewed. Thoroughly,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner at a press conference. “It is important for us to ascertain from last night what took place, what happened, where missteps may have occurred.”

Patino was a junior at the University of Dayton. His family said they found out about his death when the hospital called his mom from his cellphone, according to WGN.

Naperville News 17’s Aysha Ashley Househ reports.