Photo by Calder Wilson
Update [August 2, 10:35 PM]: The San Bernardino Sheriff's department has identified the people who died at this weekend's HARD Summer festival in a press release from the Coroner's office. They were Derek Lee, 22, of San Francisco, Alyssa Dominguez, 21, of San Diego, and Roxanne Ngo, 22, of Chino Hills.Two women and one man have died at the ninth annual HARD Summer music festival this weekend, which took place from July 30-31 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. The causes of death are not yet known, said Captain Horace Boatwright of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department in an interview with the Fontana Herald News.Two of the deaths happened on Saturday, while the third occurred on Sunday; Boatwright also said that the hot weather—which was in the 90s throughout the weekend—may have contributed to their occurrence.Last year, two women died from drug-related causes at HARD Summer in Pomona, California. The event led LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis to call for a temporary ban on raves on county property, as well as the LA Board of Supervisors' eventual formation of the festival health-oriented Electronic Music Task Force.Southern California is actively grappling with the question of what to do about rave deaths, as indeed the entire dance music community is. In May, San Bernardino County Supervisor Janice Rutherford announced a motion to ban all "rave-style" events at the San Manuel Amphitheater, following complaints from local residents about excessive noise, heavy traffic, and drug-related deaths. This proposal was ultimately rejected by the Board of Supervisors in June, but the county is looking to investigate the possibility of ending concerts three hours earlier.The San Bernardino Coroner and Supervisor Rutherford did not respond to THUMP's requests for comment at the time of publication.Follow Alexander on Twitter.
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