Western Washington University student identified as victim in Astroworld Festival tragedy

Among those killed in a crowd surge at Astroworld, a Houston music festival, is Axel Acosta, a student at Western Washington University who was raised in Yakima Valley.

Acosta, 21, has been identified as one of the victims of the incident, which resulted in the death of eight people.

There were 50,000 attendees at the sold-out, two-day festival at Houston’s NRG Park.

Crowd surge kills at least 8 at Houston music festival

“Everyone was too pushed up against each other. There was just nowhere to go and no air to breathe,” Dana Schlomovits, a festival attendee, told KIRO 7 TV.

KIRO 7 reports that Acosta’s family has hired an attorney who calls his death “senseless,” and promises that someone will be held accountable.

Days after his 21st birthday, Western Washington Univ. student Axel Acosta was killed at Astroworld Festival. Acosta was from Tieton (Yakima Co.) and was one of eight people who died at Astroworld this past Friday. Cause of death still unclear at this time. @KIRO7Seattle pic.twitter.com/ZjMMLDchKq

— Kevin Ko (@NewsWithKevin) November 8, 2021

Lawsuits on behalf of the victims have been filed against the festival organizers as well as Travis Scott, the festival’s headline act.

Acosta was raised in Tieton, a city in Yakima County. He was a junior at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington.

Axel Acosta’s father, Edgar Acosta, told KTRK that his son was studying computer science at the university.

“By all accounts, Axel was a young man with a vibrant future. We are sending our condolences to his family on this very sad day,” said Melynda Huskey, vice president of enrollment and student services at Western Washington University.