Astroworld Security Guard Reveals He Was Hired On The Spot & Didn't Receive Proper Training: 'I Don't Believe I Was Prepared'
A security guard is speaking out about his experience working the deadly Astroworld Festival over the weekend.
Jackson Bush was among those hired as a security guard for the concert in Houston, Tex., on Friday, November 5, when a chaotic crowd surge ignited a devastating mass casualty incident.
Rapper Travis Scott was in the middle of his performance at NRG Park when the stampede erupted, killing 8 individuals and leaving over 300 injured.
Many have been left to question what went wrong during the situation, wondering why many suffering concertgoers and those screaming for help weren’t acknowledged until it was too late.
Bush — who was on the security staff for Friday’s event — admitted that he felt unprepared working as a security guard after receiving little-to-no training before his shift.
During an interview with News Nation Now’s Brian Entin on Tuesday, November 9, Bush revealed that he didn't have to show any form of ID before being employed to work the highly anticipated event.
“I don’t believe I was prepared,” Bush said in the interview, insisting that the number of injuries was avoidable. “I believe that if we were all prepared the right way, that stuff wouldn’t have happened the way it did.”
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Entin revealed that Bush had the lowest level of security clearance for the event, but that he was still placed at the front of the crowd, which consisted of 50,000 attendees.
“They were tight,” Bush said of the packed audience members. “Half the people we tried to pull out, we couldn’t get them out.”
Bush also said that he was “traumatized” following the concert, after witnessing the tragic incident first-hand.
“I literally seen [sic] this guy take his last breath,” he said earlier in the interview, describing several people who tried giving the deceased concertgoer compressions.
The security guard also revealed that his uncle — who was working the event as well — ended up with a broken arm from the madness.
As OK! previously reported, it was later revealed that Astroworld staffers were instructed to refer to any guests who died as “Smurfs,” in a security and medical response plan, per Chron.
The “SICKO MODE” rapper is also facing backlash after he reportedly continued on with the performance even after fans were screaming for help and ambulances were making their way through the mob of people.
Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña recently gave his take on the incident, claiming that Scott had a responsibility to stop the performance. However, the concert wasn’t officially stopped until 40 minutes after a mass casualty event was declared, per The New York Times.
