PHOENIX — Police say several people were hurt after an incident that was initially a report of shots fired at a packed outdoor concert Saturday night at Celebrity Theatre.
Officers arrived at the venue’s parking lot concert near 32nd and Van Buren streets around 10 p.m. after receiving reports of gunfire during “Smurkchella,” an event featuring rapper Lil Durk and others.
Videos on social media showed concert-goers running from the area and multiple police units at the venue after the incident.
Police at the scene initially mentioned a woman at the front of the stage was grazed in the leg by a gunshot during the show. Authorities later clarified that they never located any victims of gunshot wounds.
Several witnesses at the scene and a manager who works at Celebrity Theatre mentioned a microphone dropped by an artist on the stage may have caused concert-goers to believe they heard shots fired.
Police said a few people suffered non-life-threatening injuries when they tried to leave the area. One person reportedly suffered scrapes while trying to climb a fence and run from the concert.
The Celebrity Theatre manager mentioned the event wasn’t hosted by the venue and the parking lot had been rented by the promoter of the event.
The manager added that outdoor seating was not assigned and had pod seating, where six people could be in their own unit. The pods were reportedly on a first-come, first-served basis.
Ticket sales also reportedly exceeded what promoters were expecting.
According to the Celebrity Theatre manager, 3,700 tickets were supposed to be sold for the event and around 5,000 to 7,000 were allegedly in attendance.
Police say an investigation remains ongoing.
