Police in Rochester, New York, have identified the man believed to have intentionally driven into a crowd of concertgoers on Monday, stating the suspect is dead.
Rochester Police Chief David Smith confirmed on Tuesday during a news conference that Michael Avery, 35, from Syracuse, New York, died overnight in the hospital after two vehicles, one filled with gas canisters, crashed into the crowd, killing two people and injuring five others.
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Smith said Avery traveled from Syracuse to Rochester on Wednesday but stated that the reports that he left a suicide note or journal in his hotel room were false. The Rochester police chief added there was no further evidence pointing toward Avery’s motive to carry out the attack.
However, conversations with family led police to believe that “Avery may have been suffering from possible undiagnosed mental health issues,” Smith said.
He added that authorities have not uncovered evidence to suggest his actions “were motivated by any form political or social biases” and that there was no evidence at this time that another person was involved or that the crime was part of a “larger plot.”
Special Agent in Charge Jeremy Ball from the local FBI branch said at the press conference that while the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the incident, it has not found evidence of terrorism.
Rochester Mayor Malik Evans praised off-duty police officers for springing into action to try and help Avery and put out the fire caused by the crash.
“Even in the midst of this despicable tragedy, there is a reminder that there is still goodness in this world of the individuals that sprang into action without thinking about their own safety to try to save others,” Evans said at the conference.
Concertgoers were standing outside the Kodak Center when a Ford SUV slammed into a Mitsubishi Outlander leaving a nearby parking lot, Smith said Monday. The force of the crash sent the vehicles into a group of pedestrians on the crosswalk.
The two passengers in the Mitsubishi were killed, and the driver was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. The chief said on Monday that the Ford’s driver, now revealed to be Avery, had been taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
After extinguishing the fire that came as a result of the crash, first responders discovered “at least a dozen gasoline canisters in and around the striking vehicle,” according to Smith.
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The rock band performing at the venue before the crash, moe., released a statement on Facebook and expressed its “profound shock and sadness” over the incident.
“On a night that was meant for celebration and togetherness, we are faced instead with a tragedy that defies understanding,” the band said Monday. “Our hearts go out to the family and friends of those who lost their lives, and our thoughts are with those who were injured.”
