Fatal Stabbing Outside Phish Concert Leaves Band ‘Deeply Saddened’: ‘Our Hearts Go Out to All Those Affected’

A victim lost their life, and two others sustained injuries, in a stabbing that took place outside Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Va., during Phish‘s performance at the venue Friday night (Sept. 19).

Officers responded to an altercation that had escalated into violence on Coliseum Drive just after 9:30 p.m. ET, according to a police report from the Hampton Police Division. The suspect fled, but detectives “identified all parties involved” and determined it “appears to be an isolated incident,” says the report published on Saturday.

“Members from the Hampton Division of Fire and Rescue responded to the scene and rendered medical assistance,” Cpl. Shaun Stalnaker writes. “The first victim was transported to a local hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The second victim was also transported and is currently receiving medical treatment. A third adult male victim later arrived at a local hospital as a walk-in, also suffering from a laceration determined to be non-life-threatening.”

Phish addressed the tragedy on Saturday in a statement the band posted on social media.

“During last night’s show, a tragic incident took place in the parking lot outside Hampton Coliseum. There was an altercation behind one of the tents in the unofficial vending area in which someone lost their life and two other people were injured. We don’t have more information than what has been reported by the police, who called it an isolated incident, but what we do know is upsetting enough. We are deeply saddened by this and our hearts go out to all of those affected,” the band said.

Phish’s Saturday and Sunday night concerts in Hampton, which wrap their summer tour, were set to go on as scheduled. Lead singer/guitarist Trey Anastasio’s solo band has gigs slated for this fall before Phish takes the stage together again for their traditional run of New Year’s Eve shows at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, where they’ve booked a four-show series spanning the dates of Dec. 28-31.

The Hampton Police Division’s Major Crimes Unit can be contacted with additional information surrounding Friday night’s incident by phone (757–727–6111 or 1–888-LOCK-U-UP), or through anonymous tip via a secure form at P3Tips.com.