"It was heartbreaking," Chow told reporters. "But collectively, we said, we will never let fear dominate and dictate. Our spirit is stronger, the spirit that comes from working together..."
Gelfand stated, 'We already have a finite amount of funds that we're working with for 2025... It would definitely be an issue if we were told by the city today that we need to have those without having additional support from the city to provide it.'
"Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this loss," festival organizers said in a statement. "We are cooperating fully with local authorities as they investigate this incident."