A car explosion happened in the first few hours of 2024, which killed three people and injured several others.
On Jan. 1, a Ford Expedition containing at least 12 gas canisters “accelerated” and crashed into a Mitsubishi Outlander as concertgoers left the Kodak Theater, in Rochester, New York.
Rochester Police Chief David Smith revealed during a press conference on Tuesday that the driver had been identified as Michael Avery. A 35-year-old man from Syracuse, Avery died last night in hospital.
Avery’s family told investigators that he “may have been suffering from undiagnosed mental issues,” Smith said. Law enforcement did not find any suicide notes or journals.
For about an hour, firefighters battled the fire in the parking lot where the fiery accident occurred.
According to Chief Smith, the two Outlander occupants were killed on the spot, while Avery died last night in the hospital.
According to the chief, one of the survivors suffered a life-threatening injury.
Geoffrey Rogers is an independent journalist who has covered the incident for several days. He shared dramatic footage from the moment of impact and described it as a crime scene unlike any other that he had ever seen.
Rogers of GSL News stated, “I have never seen a crime scene as bad in my entire life.” The whole street smelled like gas. ”
Avery stayed in a Rochester, New York hotel. This is approximately a 1.5-hour drive from his home in the Syracuse region.
Investigators are still trying to figure out what he did in Rochester or why he seemed to deliberately target pedestrians. He also rammed another vehicle with more than a dozen gas cylinders.
“There’s a lot of questions. There are a lot of questions. We all have countless questions,” Rochester mayor Malik Evans stated during Tuesday’s press conference.
“Why Rochester? Why Syracuse? Why all the gas cans? These are all things that will continue to be investigated. And as the chief has said, this is an ongoing investigation until it’s not. So this is an ongoing investigation until now. But we will continue to provide updates.”
As part of the protocol, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force has been called in to investigate the incident. However, the FBI and the police chief have determined that the deadly incident was not a terrorist act or motivated by radicalized ideologies.
Jeremy Bell of the FBI said that their presence was “not unusual in a case such as this” and they will remain at the scene until the investigation has been completed.
“What can I tell you? We have not found any evidence to date of an ideology or a connection with terrorism on either a domestic or international level,” Bell said.
An attack took place as concertgoers were leaving the Moe rock band.
The group released a statement saying that the events of last night outside the Kodak Center had left them all “deeply shocked and saddened”.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragedy of this night, which was supposed to be a time for celebration, togetherness, and joy. We also send our condolences to those affected and their families. “
