Riot Fest share statement following death of attendee
Chicago festival Riot Fest has issued a statement about the death of a fan that has occurred after sustaining injuries at the three-day event in September, 2024. They have tried to dispel any speculation linking it to a performance.
This year’s Riot Fest took place in the city’s Douglass Park from September 20th to 22nd, featuring headliners Fall Out Boy, Beck, Pavement, and Slayer. On the final day of the celebration, 58-year-old Stephen Shult, who had attended with his friends and family, went missing after he told them he was going to find a better place in the crowd for thrash legends, Slayer’s set. However, he wasn’t heard from again until the following day, when they were notified he had been hospitalised with head injuries.
On October 6th, Shult’s daughter, Jen Eaton, announced her father’s death. She wrote: “Yesterday at 1:48pm we lost our Dad. His recovery initially was going wonderfully. Over the weekend he began to decline with minor issues but by Tuesday night changes were happening rapidly for the worst. When we arrived Wednesday they suspected he was in a natural coma and had little to no brain activity. We were put in the position to determine the next steps.”
After more testing and another day of waiting for the results, Eaton said it was confirmed that her father would not have “any decent quality of life moving forward if he recovered”, and so the family took the collective decision to “let him be at peace”.
Before his death, Eaton had already started a GoFundMe to help pay for the cost of her father’s treatment, and in it, provided more insight into what happened to him on September 22nd. She said after separating for the last band, he never met them at any of their designated meet-up spots, so he was reported missing. She continued: “After posting on the Riot Fest FB page for any tips locating him, we were soon able to find him, thanks to that amazing community.”
Eaton revealed that her father was taken into the neurology ICU with head trauma but under the wrong name, and by the time they were able to locate him, he had undergone a craniotomy because of brain swelling and a bleed on the brain. Initially, doctors were “hopeful” about the prognosis.
What have Riot Fest said about Stephen Shult’s death?
In response to speculation that Shult was injured in the mosh pit during Slayer’s set, Riot Fest released a statement on October 4th. They confirmed he had passed from the injuries sustained, but clarified that speculation that his injuries linked to the Slayer audience are false.
After sharing their heartbreak at hearing the news of Shult’s death, and sending their “deepest condolences” to the family, they wrote: “The health, safety, and well-being of our fans and community have always been our top priority. We are aware of the various speculations surrounding this tragedy, including claims that it may be linked to the Slayer crowd. However, we want to clarify that this is not the case. The on-site medical time responded to this medical incident, near the Ferris Wheel area, prior to Slayer’s performance.”
“We ask our community to come together, support one another, and keep those affected in their thoughts,” Riot Fest added.
Eaton has now changed her GoFundMe to raise funds for Shult’s cremation and celebration of life service.
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