Hundreds Flock To Dallas Church For Funeral Of Youngest Astroworld Victim, 9-Year-Old Ezra Blount
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — Funeral services for the youngest victim of the tragedy at the Astroworld Music Festival in Houston were held on November 23 in North Texas.
The homegoing for 9-year-old for Ezra Blount began at 11:00 a.m. at the Inspiring Body of Christ Church in Dallas.
Ezra and his dad, Treston, went to the festival because his father said his son was a big Travis Scott fan.
Treston said he held his son on his shoulders during the concert, but soon after it started their excitement turned to chaos when concertgoers rushed into the space, squeezing tightly into each other.
Treston says he couldn't breathe, lost consciousness and collapsed. Little Ezra fell to the ground and was trampled by the crowd, causing injuries that included organ damage and swelling on his brain.
Doctors placed Ezra on a ventilator and in a medically induced coma in hopes of giving his body the strength it needed to heal, but he died a little more than a week after the concert. Nine other people at the event also lost their lives.
At the funeral service for Ezra a video on a large monitor showed the little boy playing, embracing family and having fun at birthday parties and outdoors. The gospel song "Take Me to the King" played as family and friends viewed his body, which was in a casket with a brand of the Fortnite video game.
Hundreds of people came to the church for the service including Ezra's great aunt, Gwen Thomas, who spoke with CBS 11 News before going inside. When asked about her great nephew Thomas said, "He was the best kid. He was a loving child. Can you imagine letting your child go somewhere for the weekend and then you hear on the news, okay this [deadly event] happened."
Thomas said the family was not prepared to let Ezra go. "His life was cut short for a fun even, what should have been a fun event... a nice event," she said.
After the funeral the body of Ezra Blount will be taken to Lincoln Memorial Park, where he will be buried.
Ezra's family is among the more than 300 concertgoers who have filed lawsuits against event organizers, venue management and performers Travis Scott and Drake. Scott covered the funeral expenses for Ezra Blount's service.
