Current:Home > MarketsA 4th person has died after fiery crash near western New York concert, but motive remains a mystery-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
A 4th person has died after fiery crash near western New York concert, but motive remains a mystery
View Date:2024-12-23 21:10:33
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — A fourth person has died nearly two weeks after a driver crashed an SUV packed with gas cans near a crowd of New Year’s concertgoers in western New York, but authorities said Friday they may never know the motive for what they call an intentional attack.
Rochester police revealed Friday that motorist Michael Avery, 35, spent several hours in parking lots and other spots near the Kodak Center on the night of the fiery wreck, which killed him, two passengers in another car and a pedestrian who died earlier this week. Avery even went up to the theater and bought a ticket to the show, but didn’t go in, Police Chief David Smith said at a news conference.
Along with gasoline-filled canisters, investigators found a replica gun and lighters in Avery’s rented Ford Expedition, Smith said. There was also a 20-page journal with sporadic entries that appeared to be several years old and unrelated to the crash, the chief said.
Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said that Avery mounted a planned “assault on innocent people” and that his actions made plain “that he wanted to do more.”
“We may never know why he decided to carry out this act,” Evans said.
Investigators have searched Avery’s hotel room, storage unit, his own car — parked at Rochester’s airport — and more. Authorities are working their way through hundreds of hours of surveillance video and have interviewed people who knew him. Investigators haven’t found any co-conspirators, any ties to “extremist ideologies” or indeed any motive so far, Smith said.
He said Avery, a sometime delivery driver who lived in the Syracuse area, had had behavioral problems. But his family saw no immediate signs of trouble last month, Smith said.
Avery spent the last few days of December in the Rochester area, buying and filling multiple gas cans, police said.
Then, around 1 a.m. on Jan. 1, he drove the Ford Expedition into an oncoming traffic lane and appeared to be headed for a crosswalk filled with people leaving a show by the jam band moe.
The SUV hit a ride-hail vehicle, and both careened into the crosswalk. Two ride-hail passengers, friends Justina Hughes and Joshua Orr, were killed, and several other people were injured, many of them pedestrians.
One of the injured, Dawn Revette, 54, died Wednesday, Smith said. Revette lived in Rochester.
The police chief said one person is still hospitalized, with injuries that aren’t considered life-threatening.
veryGood! (6855)
Related
- Man killed in Tuskegee University shooting in Alabama is identified. 16 others were hurt
- Tigst Assefa shatters women’s marathon world record in Berlin
- Kidnapped teen rescued from Southern California motel room after 4 days of being held hostage
- President Macron says France will end its military presence in Niger and pull ambassador after coup
- Steelers shoot for the moon ball, but will offense hold up or wilt in brutal final stretch?
- India had been riding a geopolitical high. But it comes to the UN with a mess on its hands
- The Rise of Digital Gold by WEOWNCOIN
- Find your food paradise: Best grocery stores and butcher shops in the US
- Full House Star Dave Coulier Shares Stage 3 Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Diagnosis
- A statue of a late cardinal accused of sexual abuse has been removed from outside a German cathedral
Ranking
- LSU student arrested over threats to governor who wanted a tiger at college football games
- Biden warns against shutdown, makes case for second term with VP at Congressional Black Caucus dinner
- Who won? When is the next draw? What to know about Powerball this weekend
- Family of Black high school student suspended for hairstyle sues Texas officials
- NBPA reaches Kyle Singler’s family after cryptic Instagram video draws concern
- AP Top 25: Colorado falls out of rankings after first loss and Ohio State moves up to No. 4
- Retiring Megan Rapinoe didn't just change the game with the USWNT. She changed the world.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs bills to enhance the state’s protections for LGBTQ+ people
Recommendation
-
Residents urged to shelter in place after apparent explosion at Louisville business
-
Usher confirmed as Super Bowl 2024 halftime show headliner: 'Honor of a lifetime'
-
Marcus Freeman explains why Notre Dame had 10 players on field for Ohio State's winning TD
-
Hazing lawsuit filed against University of Alabama fraternity
-
Wildfires burn from coast-to-coast; red flag warnings issued for Northeast
-
Jury selection set to open in terrorism trial of extended family stemming from 2018 New Mexico raid
-
Political neophyte Stefanos Kasselakis elected new leader of Greece’s main opposition Syriza party
-
Newcastle equals its biggest EPL win with 8-0 rout at Sheffield United. Tributes for Cusack at game