2 Naperville Men Killed At Astroworld Festival: Reports

HOUSTON, TX — Two Naperville men were killed in the crowd surge at Astroworld Festival Friday in Houston, according to multiple outlets and sources at the University of Dayton, where one of the men was a senior. Six other people were killed as the crowd rushed toward the stage as rapper Travis Scott began performing.

Franco Patino, 21, who was majoring in mechanical engineering, was a big fan of Travis Scott and was in Houston attending the concert as part of his best friend's birthday celebration, his family told WGN. Jacob Jurinek, also of Naperville, was also killed at the event, according to multiple outlets.

In a campus-wide email, the University of Dayton expressed "immeasurable grief" over the death of Patino, who was minoring in human movement biomechanics. It said Patino was also a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and was working in an engineering co-op program, ABC Chicago reported.

Patino was also a member of coed Hispanic fraternity Alpha Psi Lambda, which released a statement Saturday saying the senior joined the group in spring 2020. "On behalf of Alpha Psi Lambda National Inc., we extend our condolences to his family, friends, Alpha Nu Chapter and all that share in this loss," the group said. "May his memory be eternal."

Older brother Julio Patino Jr. told "People" his brother and Jurinek were both killed. He described Franco as someone with "such a big heart" who was "always going above and beyond and helping others" and "always looking out for everybody."

Jurinek's father, Ron, spoke briefly to the Daily Beast, calling his son's death a terrible loss. "He was a great kid," he told the outlet, saying the family was too grief-stricken to comment further.

The Southern Illinois University website said Jurinek was from Naperville and was a radio, television and digital media major.

Patino's family told WGN they found out about his death when a Houston hospital called his mother from his cell phone. His brother also said he saw photos of someone giving him CPR on social media.

Julio Patino Jr. criticized Astroworld, saying he is upset with the way the festival was handled and the lack of control of such a large event. "There should have been a point where they said, 'This is out of control. We gotta stop this before it gets even worse," he told "People'. "And they just kept on going."

Travis Scott issued a statement on Twitter, saying he is "absolutely devastated" and that Houston police have his "total support."

It's not the first time fans have rushed the stage at one of Scott's concerts. In 2015, he was arrested by Chicago police after authorities said he urged concertgoers to climb over security barricades and storm the stage at Lollapalooza.

That performance was shut down after just five minutes after a wave of fans joined him on the stage, Rolling Stone reported at the time. Scott was charged with disorderly conduct, ABC reported.

At the time, the Office of Emergency Management said Scott "played one song and then began telling fans to come over the barricades. Due to the security's quick response, the situation was remedied immediately and no fans were injured. The performer fled the scene and was taken into custody a short while later."

Four months later, Scott pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless conduct.

The eight people killed at Friday's Astroworld concert ranged in age from 14 to 27, police said. Two of those who were killed, ages 14 and 16, were minors. Another child, a 10-year-old, is in critical condition, Variety reported.

An estimated 50,000 fans were at Astroworld, which was originally scheduled to take place Friday and Saturday in Houston but was canceled after the deaths.