HOUSTON – The Houston community continues to deal with the devastation left behind after tragedy struck the Astroworld Festival on Nov. 5 2021.
This story was initially published on Nov. 15, 2021.
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On Sunday, a family attorney confirmed the 10th death stemming from the incident at NRG Park as 9-year-old Ezra Blount.
Ezra was hospitalized following the festival after he and his father became trapped in the crowd surge, causing Ezra to fall and be trampled by other concertgoers.
The young boy suffered multiple injuries to his liver and lungs and had swelling of the brain. He was later placed on a ventilator before being pronounced brain dead.
Blount becomes the youngest of the 10 deaths, with the others of age ranges from 14 to 27 years old.
The event’s headliner, Travis Scott, announced he would be paying for the funeral costs of all victims.
A crowd of approximately 50,000 people was amassed at NRG Park during the tragedy.
KPRC 2 Investigates: HFD’s Official Astroworld Concert Activity Log
Read more on the victims below.
Ezra Blount, 9
Family attorney Benjamin Crump confirmed Sunday night that little Ezra Blount passed away after suffering traumatic injuries at the festival.
Crump sent the following statement to KPRC 2 on Sunday night:
“The Blount family tonight is grieving the ultimate, incomprehensible loss of their precious son. This should not have been the outcome of taking their son to a concert, a joyful celebration. Ezra’s death is absolutely heartbreaking. We are committed to seeking answers and justice for the Blount family. But, tonight, we stand in solidarity with the family, in grief, and in prayer.”
KPRC 2 will provide further details on the honors and memorials for Ezra in the coming days.
John Hilgert, 14
Memorial High School ninth-grader John Hilgert, 14, was the youngest of those who died. Mourners began tying green ribbons around trees at the school over the weekend in his memory.
He was at the concert with classmate Robby Hendrix, whose mother, Tracy Faulkner, spoke with the Houston Chronicle. The boys had hoped to get a good spot to watch the show.
“Everything about that night was a tragedy,” Faulkner told the newspaper. “John was a good student and athlete and so polite. He was the sweetest and smartest young man.”
Visitation with the family will be held Tuesday, Nov. 16 from 4 p.m. to 7p.m. at the St. Martin’s Episcopal Church located at 717 Sage Road in Houston. Funeral services will take place the following day, Wednesday, Nov. 17, at the same church starting at 10 a.m.
Brianna Rodriguez, 16
Brianna Rodriguez, 16, was a junior who attended Heights High School. In a tweet from the school’s band account, she performed with the band and was “someone who always made anyone smile.” A GoFundMe account was established to help with funeral expenses.
READ MORE: ‘Always made anyone smile’: Heights HS student among Astroworld Festival victims
Rodriguez’s viewing will be opened to the public on Friday, Nov. 12 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at La Paz Memorial Funeral Home located at 7902 Nordling Road in Houston. Rodriguez’s funeral and burial services will be held Saturday, Nov. 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Franco Patiño, 21
Franco Patiño, 21, was working toward a mechanical engineering technology degree at the University of Dayton, with a minor in human movement biomechanics, his father, Julio Patiño, said in an interview. He was a member of Alpha Psi Lambda, a Hispanic interest fraternity, and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and was working in an engineering co-op program.
Patiño described his son as a charismatic, energetic leader who was active in his community and intent on helping people with disabilities.
He said his son was working with a team on a new medical device, and that he wanted to find a way to help his mother walk again after she was severely injured in an automobile accident in Mexico two years ago.
Through tears, Patiño described how his son — who enjoyed weight lifting, football and rugby — used his strength to break a door and free his mom from the wreckage.
“He loved his mom,” Patiño said. “He said everything that he was doing, it was trying to help his mom. The entire goal.”
Julio Patiño, of Naperville, Illinois, was in London on business when the phone rang around 3 a.m. He answered it and heard his wife, Teresita, crying. She said someone had called from a hospital about their 21-year-old son, Franco, and that a doctor would be calling her soon. About 30 minutes, she called back with the doctor on the line.
“The doctor was giving us the news that our son had passed away,” Patiño said.
Patiño said he had last spoken with his son about 2 p.m. Friday. Franco told his dad that there weren’t a lot of people at the festival site yet
“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” Patiño recalled his son saying. “I just said, ‘Ok, just be careful.’”
READ MORE: University of Dayton student among those killed in chaos at Astroworld Festival
Visitation for Franco will be held on Saturday, Nov. 13, from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Beidelman-Kunsch Funeral Homes & Crematory located at 24021 Royal Worlington Drive in Naperville, Illinois. Funeral Mass will be held Saturday, Nov. 20, at 2 p.m., at Holy Spirit Catholic Community Church in Naperville, Illinois.
Rudy Peña, 23
Rudy Peña, of Laredo, Texas, was a student at Laredo College and wanted to be a Border Patrol agent, his friend Stacey Sarmiento said. She described him as a people person.
“Rudy was a close friend of mine,” she said. “We met in high school. He was an athlete… He brought happiness anywhere he went. He was easy to get along with. It was like positive vibes from him at all times.”
“We all came to have a good time … it was just horrible in there,” she added.
READ MORE: College student who dreamed of becoming border patrol officer among Astroworld Festival victims
Visitation for Rudy was held Thursday, Nov. 11. in Laredo. A burial service will be held Friday, Nov. 12 at 10 a.m. at the Laredo City Cemetery located at 3200 N Meadow Avenue.
Axel Acosta, 21
Axel Acosta, 21, was a computer science major at Western Washington University. His father, Edgar Acosta said his son was among the victims who died at the festival.
The school in Bellingham, Washington, released a statement Sunday: “By all accounts, Axel was a young man with a vibrant future. We are sending our condolences to his family on this very sad day.”
READ MORE: Father identifies unknown concertgoer who was among Astroworld Festival victims
Funeral arrangements are pending, per Brookside Funeral Home, but services are expected to be held in Washington.
Jacob Jurinek, 20
Jacob “Jake” Jurinek, 20, was a junior at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, where he was “pursuing his passion for art and media,” his family said in a statement Sunday. He was just over two weeks short of his 21st birthday.
He was attending the concert with Patino, his friend and former high school football teammate, according to Patino’s father Julio Patino. He was deeply committed to his family and was known as “Big Jake” by his younger cousins.
He will be missed by his father, Ron Jurinek, with whom Jake became especially close with after Jake’s mother died in 2011.
“In the decade since, Jake and Ron were inseparable – attending White Sox and Blackhawks games, sharing their love of professional wrestling, and spending weekends with extended family and friends at Jake’s favorite place, the family cottage in Southwestern Michigan,” the family’s statement said.
“We are all devastated and are left with a huge hole in our lives,” his father, Ron Jurinek, added in an emailed statement.
Visitation for Jurinek will be held on Sunday, Nov. 14, from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Beidelman-Kunsch Funeral Homes & Crematory, in Naperville, Illinois. A memorial mass has been planned for Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, starting at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Darien, Illinois. Those who would like to offer condolences, or send resolutions, call 630-922-9630.
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale released the following statement:
“We are brokenhearted to lose a member of the Saluki family, Jacob Jurinek, and we extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Jacob was a creative, intelligent young man, with a promising career in journalism and advertising. We understand this comes as a shock to many of our students. If they have mental health concerns, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is available to help them by calling 618-453-5371. As we mourn this loss in our community, we will keep Jacob’s family and friends in our thoughts.” – Austin Lane, chancellor, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Madison Dubiski, 23
Madison Dubiski, 23, lived in Houston. She was a varsity cheerleader in high school and a member of a community service group called the National Charity League, according to a former classmate.
“She was definitely the life of the party and loved by so many people,” Lauren Vogler said.
She was her mom’s best friend and she loved watching her brother play sports, family friend Claudia Sierra told the Houston Chronicle.
Mirza “Danish” Baig, 27
Mirza “Danish” Baig, who identified himself on Facebook as a district manager for AT&T, and appeared to be a devoted Dallas Cowboys fan, was among those who died at the concert, his brother Basil Baig said on Facebook.
“He was (an) innocent young soul who would always put others before him. He was a hard-working man who loved his family and took care of us. He was there in a heartbeat for anything. He always had a solution to everything,” Basil Baig said.
Baig’s funeral was held Sunday in Colleyville in the Dallas-Forth Worth area. Messages left with Basil Baig were not returned.
County officials identified him as Mirza Baig, but his brother said on Facebook he went by Danish. He was 27.
Baig’s funeral/Janazah was held on Nov. 7 at Colleyville Masjid.
Bharti Shahani, 22
The 22-year-old was a computer science major at Texas A&M and had an online clothing business with which she hoped to support her family. She had been in critical condition after injuries suffered from Friday’s Astroworld Festival. According to her family on Thursday, she passed away on Wednesday evening at 6:50 p.m. On a GoFundMe page started when Shahani was still hospitalized, her younger sister called her “the light of our lives.” Shahani’s organs are going to be donated, according to her family, in continuing her spirit of “always giving, no taking,” as said by her mother.
READ MORE: Family of Astroworld Festival victim speaks after daughter’s declared death
The Associated Press contributed to this report.