6 Killed, 25 Hurt in Stampede at N.Y. College Gym
A crush of people trying to get inside a college gymnasium for a rap celebrity basketball game on Saturday left six dead and at least 25 injured, police said.
The victims apparently were trampled or smothered to death in the stampede at City College in Harlem, Capt. Daniel Carlin said.
The event was billed as the Heavy D and Puff Daddy Celebrity Charity basketball game. Both are rap stars and each captained a team. The disturbance began before the game.
Charrisse Miles, 21, said a line of ticket-holders had been let inside the gym. Another group of people without tickets began pushing against the doors, swarming into the foyer of the gym.
“The crowd was pushing up against the doors and the walls trying to get in,” Miles said, adding that she saw about 20 people passed out on the floor.
“They were just rushing in.” said Tanya Smith, a ticket-holder. “There wasn’t enough security and not enough space.”
Two people suffered cardiac arrest and were listed in critical condition at St. Luke’s Hospital, a city Emergency Medical Services spokesman said.
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