astroworld festival tragedy

Exclusive: Travis Scott's attorney says show would have stopped if police asked.

ByMiya Shay KTRK logo

Friday, November 12, 2021

Travis Scott's attorney says city leaders should stop finger-pointing

Travis Scott's attorney said investigations should stop "finger-pointing" so that they can identify what transpired at the deadly Astroworld Festival.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- For the first time since the Astroworld tragedy at NRG Park on Nov. 5, Travis Scott's attorney spoke on the record and on camera.

"Travis is devastated," said attorney Ed McPherson, a member of Scott's legal team on the West Coast.

McPherson gave his first on camera interview to ABC13 after issuing a blistering statement a day prior.

"There has been multiple finger-pointing, much of which has been by city officials, who have sent inconsistent messages and have backtracked from original statements," said McPherson in the original statement.

Expanding on that, McPherson said the Astroworld production team would have "absolutely" stopped the show had Houston Police Department requested it.

"If someone from the police department had gone to the producers, at 9:30 p.m., and said, 'Hey stop the show, we have a mass casualty event,' would you guys have stopped it?" ABC13 asked in a wide-ranging interview.

"Of course! What possible reason would we have for keeping it going? In fact in 2019, I believe it was during Astroworld, when it went past the curfew, like five minutes, the police went and pulled the plug," said McPherson. "They certainly could have done that if they wanted to."

WATCH: Travis Scott's attorney speaks out on 'Good Morning America'

GMA anchor Cecilia Vega asked attorney Edwin McPherson if Travis Scott incited the crowd when he told them to rage. Press play to hear his response.

The comments come after Houston Police Chief Troy Finner had originally reported that a security guard had been injected with a needle by someone at the concert. In a news conference a day after the tragedy that left eight people killed and hundreds of others injured, Finner said the prick on the security guard's neck left him unconscious.

Then on Wednesday, Finner walked back on the claim.

McPherson said that Scott could not really see what was taking place past the stage. He points out that performers have music and producers in their earpieces. In addition, stage lighting makes it almost impossible for performers to see into a darkened audience arena.

As for allegations that Scott has a history of egging on his fans and encouraging bad behavior, McPherson pushed back on some of that widespread reporting.

"I think if you talk to Travis, he'd say there were times in his life as a young artist where he did things that he didn't realize how much impact he has from the stage," he said. "I think he's matured, the power he has from the stage... he knows he can't do things he's done in the past...I've seen the footage of this, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary in terms of what Travis was saying. Any performer wants the crowd charged up, wants them engaged in the show, I didn't see anything that went beyond that."

McPherson said Scott's team has set up an email for families of those who lost lives to reach out directly to them. Scott has offered to pay for funeral expenses of all families, with no strings attached.

McPherson said that Scott is so upset that he "hasn't left the house." In addition, he said Scott is not thinking about his career, just the well-being of the families, and has canceled a number of upcoming performances.

Prior to his lawyer's interview on Thursday, the rapper took to social media last Saturday to express his thoughts about the deadly incident.

He released a series of short videos on Instagram a day after the tragedy at the tragedy.

"My fans really mean the world to me," Scott said. "And I always just really want to leave them with a positive experience, and any time I can make out, you know, anything that's going on, you know I stop the show, you know, and help them get the help they need."

The 30-year-old appeared somber as he explained that he was working with authorities as they investigated the circumstances that led to the event and said he's attempting to reach victims' families in an effort to help.

"I could just never imagine the severity of the situation," Scott said.

The third-annual Astroworld Festival, was intended to be a multi-day event that had sold-out months before opening day. It was abruptly canceled after scores of fans collapsed.

WATCH: Skeye13 shows the aftermath of Astroworld Festival's mass casualty

Press play to watch the scene that HPD is now treating as a crime scene after eight people died and hundreds of others were injured at Travis Scott's event Friday night at NRG Park.