Astroworld Festival disaster: 5 out of 8 victims identified in Astroworld Festival mass casualty

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Six of the eight people killed in Friday’s Astroworld Festival disaster have been identified.

John Hilgert, a ninth-grade student at Memorial High School, died during the incident, according to a letter from school administrators sent Saturday to parents.

“Our hearts go out to the student’s family and to his friends and our staff at Memorial,” MHS Principal Lisa Weir wrote. “This is a terrible loss, and the entire MHS family is grieving today.”

Counselors will be made available to students next week to offer support as they process the loss of their classmate, Weir said.

Green ribbons were found wrapped around the building on Saturday.

Hilgert was among the eight victims at the event, who had not been identified by authorities Saturday, though they did say there was one 14-year-old, a 16-year-old, two 21-year-olds, a pair of 23-year-olds, and a 27-year-old victim.

ABC13 also learned the name of a 16-year-old killed. A family member confirmed the 16-year-old was Brianna Rodriguez. Her aunt said she was a junior at Heights High School and had a passion for dancing.

A Heights High School parent-teacher organization expressed its condolences to Rodriguez’s family. The school will have counselors available Monday for students and staff who may need support during this time.

A family member created a GoFundMe page to raise money for Rodriguez’s funeral expenses.

Administrators at the University of Dayton in Ohio confirmed one of the 21-year-old victims was Franco Patiño. He was majoring in mechanical engineering technology.

A father identified an unknown victim as his 21-year-old son. Oscar Acosta confirmed to ABC13 that his son, Axel, was the unidentified victim that had been recovered from Memorial Hermann Hospital after the incident.

Acosta said his son traveled from Washington to see rapper Travis Scott take the stage at NRG Park.

The fifth victim was identified as 27-year-old Danish Baig. Baig was killed during the crowd rush while trying to save his fiance, his brother, Basil Baig told ABC News.

“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 said of his brother.

Basil said his family plans to hire an attorney and has not heard from Travis Scott nor event organizers.

“Travis Scott and his team and everyone associated in the event should and will be held responsible. He [didn’t] stop the show even with people chanting and to stop the show. He allowed it this was a blood bath and all of it is on his hands,” Basil said.

Family identified Jacob (“Jake”) E. Jurinek as one of the victims killed. According to a release from his family, Jurinek was a junior at Southern Illinois University, where he was pursuing his passion for art and media.

“We are all devastated and are left with a huge hole in our lives,” said Jurinek’s dad, Ron Jurinek. “Right now, we ask for the time and space for our family to process this tragic news and begin to heal. We’re comforted by the fact that the hundreds of people Jake touched over the years will carry a piece of his spirit with them.”

The age of one of the victims had not been determined.

Houston Fire Department and Harris County medics transported 25 people to hospitals, 17 of those patients were taken away during the worst of the ordeal, according to Houston Fire Department Chief Sam Peña, who also said CPR had to be performed on 11 of the victims. HFD had 55 units in-service for the festival, Peña said.

By Saturday afternoon, 13 were still hospitalized, Mayor Sylvester Turner said. Five of those patients were under 18 years old. Authorities said the investigation into what led to the deaths and injuries was expected to be lengthy.

“This incident is being thoroughly investigated and reviewed,” Turner said.

Travis Scott, the popular rapper and Astroworld Festival organizer, launched the event in 2018. His shows have typically drawn young crowds with its high-energy presentation that the artist has referred to as “raging,” according to the New York Times.

“The events last night were tragic beyond belief,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said during a Saturday briefing. “This is an artist that we know has a following amongst young people with bright futures. Those were the people that were at the event, (they) went to have a good time. “And no one, no parent, no friend, no sibling should see their loved one off to a concert by a world-renowned artist and not be able to expect them to come home safely.”