Stage collapse in Toronto kills Radiohead's drum technician Scott Johnson

Scott Johnson, Radiohead's drum technician, was killed on Saturday 16 June when the roof of the outdoor stage at Downsview Park in Toronto came down at about 4pm, as the crew set up for that evening's concert, the last date of the band's North American tour. He was 33 and from Doncaster. He was trapped under the fallen roof and pronounced dead at the site; police gave the cause as a crushing injury. They held back his name on Saturday until his family had been told, and he was named on Sunday. The Globe and Mail has its report from the day.

Music Feeds reported that Johnson looked after Phil Selway's drums. On Sunday evening the band posted a statement on Dead Air Space, their blog, signed by Selway as “Philip”. Fact has the band's statement. He was a lovely man, always positive, supportive and funny; a highly skilled and valued member of our great road crew.⁵

Three other crew were hurt. A 45-year-old man was taken to Sunnybrook Hospital with a head injury that was not life-threatening, and two others were treated at the scene for minor injuries. No member of the band was caught in the collapse, and no one from the audience was hurt.

The show was sold out, with about 40,000 people expected. The roof came down about an hour before the gates were due to open, with people already queueing outside. Alexandra Halbert, who was working in a beer tent nearby, told the BBC she heard what sounded like fireworks and turned round to see the top of the stage and the scaffolding down. That evening the band cancelled the concert on their website, Twitter and Facebook, asking fans not to come, and police cleared the area.

The afternoon had been calm, sunny and warm, with light winds; the stage collapses of the previous summer had come in storms. Toronto Police began a joint investigation with the coroner's office and Ontario's Ministry of Labour, which investigates because the site counts as a workplace. On Sunday three ministry inspectors and two engineers were at the site with the stage's engineering drawings. Matt Blajer, the ministry's spokesman, said they would look at whether safety rules had been followed and staff properly trained, and that it would take time. Constable Tony Vella of Toronto Police said criminal charges could follow, but that it was early days.

Johnson had also worked with Keane and White Lies. White Lies' drummer Jack Lawrence-Brown, Tim Burgess of the Charlatans and Portishead's Geoff Barrow paid tribute to him on Twitter, and Caribou, who were to open the show, said they were profoundly saddened. The band flew back to England on Sunday morning.

We will miss him very much. Our thoughts and love are with Scott's family and all those close to him.

Philip Selway⁵