BUFFALO, N.Y. — As investigators in Rochester work to determine what caused a concert to turn deadly, the City of Buffalo is once again in mourning.
Rochester Police announced Monday that 33-year-old Rhondesia Belton of Buffalo, who was seen posting videos at a GloRilla concert in Rochester to her Facebook story just over 24 hours ago, is now dead.
“What began last night as a night of live music and fun for the performer GloRilla ended in tragedy with one person dead and two more fighting for their lives,” said City of Rochester Police Chief David M. Smith.
Investigators said that just after 11 p.m., the tightly packed crowd started to surge toward the exits of the Main Street Armory venue after reports of gunfire that authorities say are unconfirmed.
The stampede left two dead and eight others injured with one still in critical condition.
“When you go to a concert, you do not expect to be trampled,” Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said. “Your loved ones expect you to be able to come home and talk about the experience that you had at that great concert. What I saw last night in the aftermath of what happened at this concert breaks my heart, and it is totally unacceptable.”
Police are now looking into a number of factors including crowd size, possible gunfire, pepper spray, and the venue’s entertainment license with the Rochester Mayor tonight vowing to hold those involved accountable.
“I will tell you that we have a history of my administration of holding venues accountable,” Evans said. “And that will happen in this case once a thorough investigation is complete.”
But the City of Buffalo is left again to face another tragic loss.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown took to Twitter to offer his deepest condolences to the former city employee and her family.
“This is another difficult day for our City’s workforce and our entire community,” Brown wrote. “I join all of our City employees in mourning the loss of one of our own.”
The Main Street Armory’s next concert scheduled for Saturday has been canceled. 2 On Your Side reached out to the venue for comment, but they did not respond.