{"id":26590,"date":"2023-03-10T17:51:10","date_gmt":"2023-03-10T17:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/03\/10\/third-person-dies-after-crush-at-us-glorilla-show\/"},"modified":"2023-03-10T17:51:10","modified_gmt":"2023-03-10T17:51:10","slug":"third-person-dies-after-crush-at-us-glorilla-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/03\/10\/third-person-dies-after-crush-at-us-glorilla-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Third person dies after crush at US GloRilla show"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A third person has died from the crush that broke out at a New York concert by rap star GloRilla on Sunday, police have confirmed.<\/p>\n

Aisha Stephens, 35, of Syracuse had been in hospital since the show, where the crowd panicked and surged for the exits shortly after the music ended.<\/p>\n

Police say the incident, at Rochester\u2019s Main Street Armory, may have been started by unfounded fears of gunfire.<\/p>\n

The venue has since had its licence revoked.<\/p>\n

The decision was made after the owner failed to show up for a scheduled meeting with the police chief and Rochester\u2019s city attorney on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is one step we can immediately take to ensure that the events of Sunday night are not repeated,\u201d said police chief David Smith.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bottom line is, lives were lost, and we need to take steps to make sure that no lives are lost in the future if this was indeed something that was preventable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The crush claimed the lives of two other women \u2013 nursing assistant Brandy Miller, 35, and city employee Rhondesia Belton, 33. Seven others were taken to hospital with injuries.<\/p>\n

GloRilla \u2018heartbroken\u2019<\/h2>\n

An investigation into several possible causes, including \u201cpossibly crowd size, shots fired, pepper spray and other contributing factors,\u201d is currently under way.<\/p>\n

Police are also trying to determine whether the crowd size exceeded the capacity of the Armory and whether the proper safety measures were taken.<\/p>\n

GloRilla, whose breakout song F.N.F. (Let\u2019s Go) was nominated for best rap performance at last month\u2019s Grammy Awards, only learned about the tragedy after leaving the venue.<\/p>\n

She later\u00a0tweeted<\/a>: \u201cI am devastated and heartbroken over the tragic deaths that happened after Sunday\u2019s show.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy fans mean the world to me \ud83d\ude22. Praying for their families & for a speedy recovery of everyone affected.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GloRilla\"
GloRilla one of the breakout rap stars of 2022 in the US (Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fans who attended the gig recalled scenes of hysteria as fear gripped the audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t see anything but the whole crowd pushing everyone towards the bathroom like a wave pool,\u201d\u00a028-year-old Tamira De Jesus told Rolling Stone magazine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was literally being suffocated while trying to help people on the ground stand up. I heard a man literally say, \u2018[Expletive] them, step on them.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the most inhumane thing I have seen in my whole life and I am still having anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another attendee recalled: \u201cMe and the girl next to me were climbing on each other trying to get each other up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ikea Hayes, 28,\u00a0told local reporters\u00a0that she remembered praying and telling herself: \u201cYou got to get up. You got to move. If you stay here they\u2019re going to keep running you over.\u201d<\/p>\n

She went back to the venue on Monday morning to retrieve earrings, a phone and a set of keys she had lost in the chaos.<\/p>\n

Tribute to victims<\/h2>\n

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown paid tribute to the first victim, Rhondesia Belton, 33, who had worked at the city\u2019s Traffic Violations Agency, on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is another difficult day for our City\u2019s workforce and our entire community,\u201d Brown wrote on Twitter. \u201cI join all of our City employees in mourning the loss of one of our own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miller\u2019s family said her life was \u201cone full of love and joy\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you knew her, you knew that her spirit could lift anyone out of a bad mood. She cherished her life and celebrated her loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doctors and nurses\u00a0lined the hallway at Rochester\u2019s Strong Hospital<\/a>\u00a0to honour the 35-year-old, who had decided to donate her organs if she died.<\/p>\n

Her sister said her heart, kidneys, and liver were used to save four other lives.<\/p>\n

Tributes were also paid to Aisha Stephens by the Pop Warner foundation, where she had been a cheerleading coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe made an incredible impact on so many,\u201d said the organisation in a statement. \u201cShe will be greatly missed.\u201d<\/p>\n

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