CRIME
Deadly Crash Outside Rochester Concert Being Investigated As Domestic Terrorism
WHAM
The FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating after a deadly car crash outside a New Year’s Eve concert in Rochester, N.Y., involving a car filled with gasoline canisters.
Speaking at a press conference, Rochester Police Chief David Smith said the moe. concert at the Kodak Center was letting out at around 12:50 a.m. Monday when a Ford Expedition crashed into a Mitsubishi Outlander that was leaving the parking lot, plowing through a crosswalk full of pedestrians.
“The force of the collision caused the two vehicles to go through a group of pedestrians that were in the crosswalk and then into two other vehicles,” Smith said. The vehicles exploded into an intense fire.
Two occupants in the Mitsubishi, believed to be an Uber, were killed, and the driver was transported to the hospital in non-life-threatening condition. Three pedestrians were transported to Strong Memorial Hospital, one of them in life-threatening condition. The driver of the Ford Expedition was also transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
It took firefighters about an hour to extinguish the blaze, after which they discovered at least a dozen gasoline canisters in and around the Ford Expedition.
As a result, the Rochester Police Department Bomb Squad and the Joint Arson Task Force responded to the scene, along with the FBI.
Per reports, the Expedition driver, identified as Michael Avery of Syracuse, died of his injuries at around 8 p.m. Monday. He allegedly rented the large SUV for the attack, and left a suicide note and journal in his hotel room, per reports.
The Buffalo-based rock band moe. expressed profound shock and sadness after the event, which was their second night in a row performing at the Kodak Center.
“On a night that was meant for celebration and togetherness, we are faced instead with a tragedy that defies understanding,” the band said in a statement. The support and resilience shown by our Famoe.ly is a powerful reminder of the strength of our community.
TMX contributed to this article.
