DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — The University of Dayton confirmed a student died while attending the Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas.
According to a release from Shawn Robinson, the Associate Director of News and Communications for UD, Franco Patino was killed at the concert in Houston on Friday, November 5, 2021.
Patino was a 21-year-old mechanical engineering technology student from Naperville, Illinois. He was a member of Alpha Psi Lambda, a Hispanic interest fraternity, and a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers at UD. He was working in an engineering coop program in Mason, Ohio.
His fraternity released a statement Saturday that said, in part:
“On behalf of Alpha Psi Lambda National Inc., we extend our condolences to his family, friends, Alpha Nu Chapter and all that share in this loss. May his memory be eternal.”
Patino’s family said he was a big Travis Scott fan and went to the concert to celebrate a friend’s birthday. His family said his friend died at the concert as well.
Patino’s family said his death should not have happened, the concert was too crowded and there were not enough restrictions to control the crowd.
2NEWS spoke with one of Patino’s friends who wished to remain anonymous, they provided the following statement:
“He always knew how to put a smile on our faces and lift us up when feeling down. Being a very involved member of the Dayton community, he fully embodied our values and truly shows what it means to be a student here at the University of Dayton. Franco will be wildly missed by all who knew him and he is survived by all students who looked up to him.”
University of Dayton students were saddened by the news Saturday night said the impact will be felt across campus.
“It takes a toll on the student body, like, hearing about kids who died, especially when they’re in you’re grade and obviously, you never want that to happen,” University of Dayton junior David Phillips said.
“It’s just a really unfortunate situation, we never want to hear that happen with anybody our age, especially who we go to school with,” University of Dayton junior Kyle Cullen said.
Administrators at UD will post information about a campus memorial and funeral for Patino when details are available.
Campus ministers, the dean of students office, housing and residence life, and counseling staff will be available for students.
image courtesy of wdtn.com