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Ezra Blount’s family declined Travis Scott’s offer to pay for their nine-year-old’s funeral following the tragic Astroworld festival.
Rolling Stone reported that Scott, 30, made the offer on Wednesday following Blount’s death on Nov. 14, which was the result of injuries sustained at the music artist’s concert on Nov. 5.
“Your client’s offer is declined,” Bob Hilliard, the family’s attorney, stated in a letter written to Daniel Petrocelli, Scott’s attorney. “I have no doubt Mr. Scott feels remorse. His journey ahead will be painful. He must face and hopefully see that he bears some of the responsibility for this tragedy.”
The family’s attorney added, “There may be, and I hope there is, redemption and growth for [Scott] on the other side of what this painful process will be — and perhaps one day, once time allows some healing for the victims and acceptance of responsibility by Mr. Scott and others, Treston and Mr. Scott might meet, as there is also healing in that.”
A funeral service was held on Nov. 23 in Dallas at the Body of Christ Church, in which the nine-year-old boy was laid to rest, and buried in the Lincoln Memorial Park cemetery.
“Travis is devastated by the tragedy that occurred at the Astroworld Festival and grieves for the families whose loved ones died or were injured,” Petrocelli wrote in an offer from Scott sent to Hilliard, that was published in Rolling Stone. “Travis is committed to doing his part to help the families who have suffered and begin the long process of healing in the Houston community. Toward that end, Travis would like to pay for the funeral expenses for Mr. Blount’s son.”
The nine-year-old fell from his father’s shoulders during a crowd surge at the concert and was trampled by festival-goers.
Texas Children’s Hospital placed Ezra in a medically induced coma after he sustained brain swelling and organ damage. During Ezra’s visit to Astroworld, the boy was “kicked, stepped on, trampled, and nearly crushed to death” due to “grossly negligent conduct,” a pending lawsuit detailed. Early in November, Ezra’s family filed a lawsuit against Scott, Live Nation Entertainment, Scoremore Management, Inc. and others.
In addition, the lawsuit seeks monetary relief of over $1 million for negligence regarding crowd control, failure to provide proper medical attention, hiring, training, supervision, and retention.
“I just think there should be some accountability, cause for my grandson to end up the way he did, something terrible happened. He’s a small, innocent child, he didn’t deserve that. He didn’t deserve it at all,” Ezra’s grandfather, Bernon Blount, said.
“He’s just coming into town to see one of his favorite artists, and to be trampled like that, and really left in the hospital with no one knowing where he was, that’s heartbreaking,” he added. “As the citizens of Houston, we don’t deserve it, and my grandson certainly didn’t deserve it.”