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Houston fire chief says Travis Scott should have stopped show following concert deaths

Chief Samuel Pena told NBC's Savannah Guthrie that more people should have stepped in to try and end the rapper's performance.

November 9, 2021 9:36pm

Updated: November 10, 2021 10:32am

Houston's fire chief said rapper Travis Scott should have ended his performance following the panicked surge that killed eight people at his concert, according to reports.

Chief Samuel Pena told NBC's Savannah Guthrie that more people should have stepped in to try and end the rapper's performance. 

"We all have a responsibility. Everybody at that event has a responsibility. Starting from the artist on down," Pena said on the "Today" show. 

"At one point, there was an ambulance that was trying to make its way through the crowd," Pena said. "And he's got, the artist has, command of that crowd," he said. "The artist, if he notices something that’s going on, he can certainly pause that performance, turn on the lights and say, 'hey, we’re not going to continue until this thing is resolved.' That’s one way to do it, yes." 

Videos on social media show numerous fans yelling at his security guards or climbing on stage trying to get someone to stop the concert. 

Houston's Police Chief has launched a criminal probe concerning the deadly event that occurred at the music festival.

Multiple lawsuits on behalf of the victims' families have been filed against Scott, as well as the operator of the venue the concert was held at.