A promising college student named Axel Acosta has been identified as one of the eight victims of the mass casualty incident that took place Friday night at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas.
Axel’s father, Edgar Acosta, confirmed to ABC 13 that his 21-year-old son was the unidentified concert attendee who had been recovered from Memorial Hermann Hospital after the tragedy.
Edgar told the outlet that filing a missing persons report on his son with authorities proved to be a challenge as Axel was a Washington resident. Police have not yet released a cause of death.
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Who is Axel Acosta?
Axel, a 21-year old student at Western Washington University’s Computer Science department, was an excellent student. Edgar, the father of Axel, said that he was a brilliant student and a great kid.
This was Axel’s first experience at an event of this size. His aunt said that Axel traveled alone from Washington to Houston to see Sicko Mode perform at NRG Park.
Astroworld Victim
Other identified victims include: 14-year-old John Hilgert, 16-year-old Brianna Rodriguez, 21-year-olds Franco Patiño and Jacob Jurinek, 23-year-old Rudy Peña, 27-year-old Mirza Danish Baig and another 23-year-old, who has not been identified publicly.
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Axel Acosta Education
Western Washington University, where Axel was studying computer science, released a statement shortly after his death was confirmed, ABC 13 reported.
“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,” Vice President of Enrollment and Student Services Melynda Huskey said, per the outlet.
On Facebook, Axel’s brother, Joel Acosta, shared a tribute to his late brother after he was confirmed dead.
“I want to thank everyone on Facebook and Instagram who helped spread the word about my brother Axel Acosta. He has finally been found and funeral arrangements have been made,” he wrote beside a collage photograph. “Again, I appreciate the help and please help me pray for him. He is in a better place with no suffering and I hope he knows that we love him.”
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Axel Acosta Facts
Tony Buzbee, a Houston lawyer, was hired by Axel’s relatives to represent them in this legal battle. Travis, Live Nation and the organizers of Astroworld Festival have been sued.
Although an autopsy report for the young man was not released, the lawyer claimed that he died of compressive asphyxiation. This is a form of expressive compression of the body. Further, the attorney stated that it was due to crowd rush.
“The enormous force of the unruly, out-of control crowd created by defendants’ gross negligence caused such significant pressure to his body that it was unable to breathe,” said the lawyer during Monday’s press conference (Nov.4). Axel’s relatives were also present.
Axel’s cellphone was found in the lost-and-found collection at the festival site. During the press conference, the family claimed that they learned about their son’s passing when his photos began to circulate all over the internet.
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