Houston police chief refutes story security guard was stabbed in neck with needle, likely injected with drugs
Police are still investigating the deaths of eight killed during a reported crowd surge at Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Houston Police Chief Troy Finner emphasized the department will hold someone accountable for the deaths that occurred at Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival during a press conference Wednesday.
Finner gave updates regarding the ongoing investigation, including refuting the allegation that a security guard had been stabbed in the neck with a needle and likely injected with drugs.
The security guard told the Houston Police Department that he actually been hit in the head which left him unconscious. When he woke up, he was with the event's medical team.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The police chief expressed confidence in his department's abilities amid the investigation.
Eight people were killed during a reported crowd surge at Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival. The rapper was performing at the time. (Omar Vega/FilmMagic)
"I'm really confident in who we are here at HPD," Finner said, later adding, "I'm pretty confident in what our investigators are doing already."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Finner also promised to hold people "accountable" for the tragedy.
"We're going to hold people accountable," he said. "The families, we owe that to them. We owe it to the city. We owe it to our nation and we need to learn lessons from this."
Despite previous comments claiming the police chief had concerns ahead of Astroworld, Finner claimed during the press conference that he had "no reason" to believe the event would not be safe.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Scott has since revealed he will be covering the funeral costs for the victims. (Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images)
The police chief also refuted the claim that he has a close, personal relationship with the Houston-born rapper. Finner and Scott had only met twice prior to Astroworld, according to the police chief.
"I've only spoken to him twice," he said.
A reported crowd surge during the concert led to the deaths of eight attendees and left others injured. Scott was performing on stage during the incident and has since faced criticism for allowing the show to continue while people needed help in the crowd.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Scott has spoken out since the concert tragedy.
"I’m honestly just devastated," Scott said in a series of videos shared to his Instagram story. "We’re actually working right now to identify the families so we can help assist them through this tough time."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Scott emphasized that he didn't know the severity of the issues going on during the concert.
A visitor writes a note at a memorial outside of the canceled Astroworld festival at NRG Park in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"Any time I could make out, you know, anything that’s going on, you know, I just stopped my show and, you know, helped them get the help they need," he added during the video.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The rapper also plans to cover funeral costs for the victims.
"These are the first of many steps Travis plans on taking as a part of personal vow to assist those affected throughout their grieving and recovery process," a statement from his representative read (via NPR).