Samuel Pena: Fire chief says Travis Scott should've 'absolutely ended' Astroworld
With the very public backlash against Travis Scott continuing, a new voice has weighed in on the Astroworld tragedy. Samuel Pena, the fire chief of the Houston Fire Department (HFD) has strong words for Scott, and the organizers of the festival, but stopped short of blaming only them for what transpired. Instead, he took a more diplomatic approach and said, "Everybody at that event has a responsibility, starting from the artist on down."
At the moment, Scott is facing a lot of flak because people claim he didn't stop his performance, despite very visible attempts by the crowd to draw his attention. Some fans contest those claims and say he did stop the concert several times. It's unclear what exactly happened, but now at least eight people are dead and Scott is facing multiple lawsuits, as is Drake. An investigation into the incident is ongoing, but that hasn't stopped the rising tide of anger towards Scott.
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Not only is Scott being sued, but reportedly his daughter Stormie has also received death threats, while partner Kylie Jenner has been slammed on social media for posting photos just days after the tragedy. That brings us to Pena, the fire chief who believes Scott should take some of the blame, especially given the video evidence that has since made its way online.
Who is Samuel Pena?
A 24-year veteran of the service, Pena has been the chief of the HFD since December 2016. Prior to that, he served as the chief in El Paso. Pena holds a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Texas, after which he spent four years in the US Air Force. In 1988, he completed his paramedic training leading him to various roles in El Paso including Task Force Leader for the Special Rescue team, Strategic Planning Chief, and Assistant Chief of Emergency Operations.
Beyond his long as illustrious career, Pena has also been at the center of two scandals. In 2019, HFD firefighters accused Pena of underfunding the department, supporting a three-shift model that would reduce minority promotions and response to Hurricane Harvey. Those accusations to more than 3,000 firefighters signing a no-confidence resolution in October. Despite that opposition, he managed to keep his job thanks to the support from Mayor Sylvester Turner.
In April 2021, Pena was accused of donating to a fundraiser for the four Houston police officers who were fired over the shooting of Nicolas Chavez. The Guardian reported that Pena donated $100 through his official email ID, which he denied. Despite those accusations, he's managed to keep his job as the HFD, which put him at the front of the city's response to the Astroworld stampede.
'Everybody has a responsibility'
Speaking to 'The Today Show' on November 9, Pena said he believed Scott "absolutely" could have played a role in stopping it. "If he notices something that's going on, he can certainly pause that performance, turn on the lights and say, 'Hey we're not going to continue until this thing is resolved.'" He did, however, refuse to put the blame solely on the rapper, saying, "I'm not prepared to say he was fully aware of what was going on," adding, "everything is going to be fleshed out throughout this investigation."
"There was evidence that the crowd itself was trying to approach some of their private security, security that was closer to that stage," Pena noted, indicating that Scott may have been aware of the tragedy unfolding. "All I’m saying is that everybody at that event, from the artist on down — security and everybody that’s there to provide public safety, including the crowds — we all have a responsibility," he concluded. "We really need to take a critical look at everything that went on there because we cannot have this happen again, here in the city or anywhere."
Both Scott and Jenner have denied being aware of the gravity of the situation. In an Instagram Story, Jenner said, "I want to make it clear that we weren’t aware of the fatalities until the news came out after the show and in no world would have continued filming or performing." As of November 8, over a dozen lawsuits have been filed against Scott and the organizers, while the Houston PD is conducting a criminal investigation.
