Tuesday marks one year since deadly crowd surge at the Main Street Armory

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Tuesday marks one year since the deadly crowd surge at the Main Street Armory as a concert was ending.

Three women died from injuries they suffered while being trampled as people rushed toward the main door. The crowd surge happened when artist GloRilla had finished performing and people thought they heard gunshots. Although police didn’t find any evidence of gunshots, the sound triggered a rush to evacuate that Sunday night.

One of the victims was Brandy Miller, 35 of Rochester, who died in the hospital the day after the concert. Her family said she was a loving daughter, a sister, an aunt, and a nursing assistant who treated her elderly patients like family.

Another victim was Rhondesia Belton, 33 of Buffalo, who died in the hospital shortly after the concert. She worked at the city’s Traffic Violations Agency and her supervisor described her “a star from day one.” People’s Choice Kitchen in Rochester catered for Rhondesia’s celebration of life after the funeral.

The third victim was Aisha Stephens, 35 of Syracuse, who died the Wednesday after the crowd surge. Aisha, who some also knew as Aisha Haskins, went from being a cheerleader as a young girl to coaching her own team in Syracuse. In 2018, her team went to the National Championships at Disney World in Florida.

The Main Street Armory hasn’t hosted any events since the crowd surge. You can read more about the victims here.