A fourth person this week has died in connection with a deliberate and fiery crash in Rochester on New Year's Day.
Dawn Revette of Rochester, 54, was struck by the SUV during the New Year's crash and died Wednesday, Rochester Police Chief David Smith said at a Friday afternoon news conference.
Revette was in the crosswalk when she was struck and severely injured, according to police.
Three other people died and at least eight others were injured when a Syracuse man sped into a car and a crowd outside the Kodak Center in Rochester just after a Grateful Dead tribute band concert ended at the venue. Smith said that one person injured during the incident is at an in-patient treatment facility with non-life-threatening injuries as of Friday.
Police remain unsure about what Avery's motives were for the crash.
Fiery Kodak Center crash:FBI investigates deadly New Year's Day crash in Rochester, NY. What we know
Michael Avery, 35, was driving a rented Ford Expedition, deliberately accelerated into oncoming traffic and crashed into a Mitsubishi Outlander as it exited the Kodak Center parking lot, according to Rochester police. Two passengers in a rideshare vehicle - Justina Hughes, 28, of Geneva and Joshua Orr, 29, of Webster - died at the scene. Several pedestrians in the crosswalk were struck by the involved vehicles.
Avery's SUV was filled with gas canisters and gasoline. A Glock-style replica handgun and numerous lighters were also recovered from his charred vehicle, Smith said. Avery died at a local hospital.
Smith on Friday said Avery, a traveling delivery driver, went to Kodak Center and purchased a ticket to the concert at the venue on New Year's Eve, but did not attend the show. Instead, he "spent time around the theater" including in a nearby parking lot, Smith said. The night before the attack, Avery also spent several hours near the theater, "potentially scouting the location," Smith said.
Smith said police weren't able to determine why Avery acted as he did on New Year's Day, but noted that police weren't able to identify "the existence of any co-conspirators or any possible motive behind this attack."
"We may never know why he decided to carry out this act," Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said Friday afternoon, noting that it was a blessing that more people were not injured by what he described as a "planned attack."
Police located a 20-page journal, used "sporadically" by Avery that appeared to be several years old. The journal didn't contain any writings directly related to the West Ridge Road crash.
Local, state and federal authorities continue to investigate the incident. FBI Special Agent Jeremy Bell said the crash hasn't been to domestic or an international terrorism plot.
Avery was familiar with the Rochester area and had traveled to Monroe County at least twice in December before the crash. He stayed at a hotel in Greece, New York, about 4 miles from the Koday Center.
Police are asking anyone parked on West Ridge Road in front of the Kodak Theatre, or standing outside waiting for a ride between 12:45 and 1 a.m. on Jan. 1 to contact the department's Major Crimes Unit at [email protected] or (585) 428-7157.
Contributing: Trevor Hughes, Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY.
