Rochester, N.Y. (WBEN) - City of Rochester officials including the local FBI held a special press conference Tuesday morning detailing what is known so far in regards to the New Year's Day fiery car crash that killed three people, including the perpetrator and injuring at least 9 others near the Kodak Theatre.
"All evidence points to the suspect, 35-year-old Michael Avery from the Syracuse, New York area. The suspect passed away last night. He has not been scientifically identified, but we are in the process of confirming his identity. We have been in contact with his family since yesterday," reports Rochester Police Chief David Smith
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According to Chief Smith, Avery traveled to Rochester New York in his personal vehicle on December 27. He checked in at the WoodSpring Suites in the town of Greece on December 29.
At about 2:45pm, Avery rented the Ford Expedition from a car rental agency at the Rochester airport on December 30.
Between 9 a.m. until about 6 p.m., Avery made at least a half dozen purchases of gasoline and gas containers from different locations throughout the Monroe County in Ontario, county areas. Thus far, the information has shown he was alone when making these purchases.
On January 1, at about 12:52 a.m., Avery was operating the rented Ford Expedition eastbound on West Ridge Road. At the time, two Rochester police officers assigned to the concert were on traffic posts, stopping traffic to allow for pedestrians to cross. Avery sped up, crossed into the oncoming lane of traffic and appeared to have intentionally been driving towards the pedestrian crossing.
A rideshare vehicle containing two passengers in the backseat of the Kodak Theater parking lot was struck by Avery's Expedition. This created a chain of events that lead to the death of the two rear seat passengers of the rideshare vehicle and the injuries of at least nine pedestrians. That number has changed since yesterday as more people have come forward to report their injuries.
"The conversations we've had with his family so far leads us to believe that Avery may have been suffering from possible undiagnosed mental health issues," noted Chief Smith.
"At this time, we've not been able to identify that there was anyone else involved in the crime, or that it was part of a larger plot. Additionally, we have not uncovered any information, leading us to believe that the actions of Michael Avery on New Year's Eve were motivated by any form of political or social biases. It must be noted this is an ongoing investigation and additional information may be developed. We're going to share his photo today and ask that anyone with additional information about this tragedy, or about the suspects motivation, please contact the RPD Major Crimes Unit at (585) 428-7157.
The Rochester Police Department Major Crimes Unit, and the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force members, comprising of police detectives, fire investigators, and members of the ATF, continue their investigation.
“We’ve uncovered no evidence of an ideology and no nexus to terrorism, either international or domestic so far in the investigation,” said Jeremy Bell, assistant special agent in charge of the Rochester FBI office.
"There are lots of questions. I have lots of questions, everyone still have lots of questions. 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. We will continue to provide updates as we have them," said Rochester Mayor Malik Evans.
The members of moe., the band that had performed at the Kodak Center, said they were experiencing “profound shock and sadness.”
“On a night that was meant for celebration and togetherness, we are faced instead with a tragedy that defies understanding. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of those who lost their lives, and our thoughts are with those who were injured,” the band said in an Instagram post.