The City College stampede was a crowd crush event on December 28, 1991, in the City College of New York gymnasium during a charity basketball game headlined by hip hop celebrities P. Diddy and Heavy D. Nearly 5,000 people tried to pack into the gymnasium, which could fit 2,730 people.[1] Outside, people broke through at least one glass door leading to the gymnasium lobby. The crowd rushed the lobby and down a short staircase that led to the gymnasium.
| Date | December 28, 1991 |
|---|---|
| Venue | City College of New York gymnasium |
| Location | New York City, US |
| Coordinates | 40°49′10″N 73°57′00″W / 40.8194°N 73.9500°W |
| Type | Crowd crush |
| Deaths | 9 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 29 |
However, doors at the bottom of the stairs opened inward into the lobby, not outward into the gymnasium.[2] The doors were left closed for up to 15 minutes as the crush worsened.[1] Nine people were crushed to death at the bottom of the staircase, while 29 others were injured.[2]
The nine people killed were from various parts of New York City and surrounding areas. Jabaal Rainey was 15 and from Harlem, not far from the event. The other victims were Leonard Nelson Jr., 17, from The Bronx; Laytesha Heard, 19, from The Bronx; Sonya Williams, 20, from New Rochelle; Dawn McCaine, 20, from Brooklyn; Yul Dargan, 24, from The Bronx; Charise Ann Noel, 26, from Brooklyn; Darren Brown, 28, from The Bronx; and Dirk Swain, 20, from The Bronx.[3] No criminal charges were filed following the incident, although multiple wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits were filed.[4]
According to The New York Times, "Dirk Swain had cheated death once this year, surviving a gunshot wound to the head" when a fraternity party in Virginia turned violent last September.
According to the New York Post, a documentary titled "No Way Out" was produced by Dirk Swain's younger brother, Jason Swain, that details the event and the attendees.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Goodstein, Laurie (December 30, 1991). "'THEY JUST KEPT PUSHING ... '". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "Nine killed in a stampede outside a hip-hop celebrity basketball game". history.com. A&E Television Networks. November 16, 2009. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
- ^ a b Gonzalez, David (December 30, 1991). "Stampede at City College – 8 Lives That Came Together, Then Were Lost in a Crush". The New York Times. p. A1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ^ Sullivan, John (March 24, 1998). "Rap Producer Testifies on Fatal Stampede at City College". The New York Times. Retrieved July 9, 2022.