(CNN) — Authorities found no evidence of a connection to domestic terrorism in a deadly car crash outside a New Year’s concert in Rochester, New York, which killed two people and injured nine, officials said Tuesday.
The suspect, who officials identified as 35-year-old Michael Avery from Syracuse, has died, two law enforcement sources said.
Rochester Police Chief David M. Smith said as of Tuesday morning, officials had found no evidence that Avery acted on “political or social biases,” in the incident, in which two vehicles – one laden with gas canisters – crashed and plowed into the crowd outside the concert at Rochester’s Kodak Center.
“So far we’ve uncovered no evidence of an ideology and no nexus to terrorism, either international or domestic,” FBI agent Jeremy Bell said Tuesday.
Multiple law enforcement sources told CNN that domestic terrorism is still being looked at as a possibility in this case.
The FBI defines domestic terrorism as involving acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of US or state laws, appearing to be intended to intimidate or coerce civilians, influence the policy of government by intimidation or coercion, or affect the conduct of government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping.
Live updates: The latest on the deadly Rochester crash
Revelers were walking on a crosswalk outside the venue at around 12:50 a.m. Monday when Avery, driving a rented Ford SUV, slammed into a Mitsubishi Outlander that was leaving a nearby parking lot, Smith said.
The force of the crash sent the vehicles through a group of pedestrians who were on the crosswalk, Smith said.
Two passengers in the Mitsubishi were killed and the driver was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Nine pedestrians were injured in the crash, Smith said on Tuesday.
Avery’s family has been interviewed by investigators. Authorities say the suspect’s family believes he was bipolar, though he had not been diagnosed.
Smith said the suspect had no previous contact with law enforcement.
Officials said no suicide note was found in their search of Avery’s hotel room. A source familiar with the investigation previously told CNN that the suspect had left a suicide note and journal in his room.
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the crash, a White House official said.
At least a dozen gasoline canisters found
The crash ignited a fire that took firefighters nearly an hour to extinguish, the chief said.
Once the flames were out, first responders found “at least a dozen gasoline canisters in and around the striking vehicle,” the chief said.
“Based on the danger level associated with these, the Rochester police department bomb squad and the joint arson task force responded to the scene,” Smith added.
“We are continuing to work with our federal partners, including the FBI, to learn exactly what led to this crash,” Smith said.
The FBI said its Buffalo office is assisting Rochester police in the investigation.
Images from CNN affiliate WHAM show a heavily damaged and burned black SUV stopped head-on in front of another vehicle in the aftermath of the crash, with charred red canisters and debris littering the roadway.
Rochester Mayor Malik Evans at Monday’s news conference asked for patience as the investigation continues and urged anyone with information about the incident to reach out to authorities.
“Nothing is too small with cases like this,” he said.
Evans offered his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and asked the community to pray for those families and those who were injured.
“I would have been liking to stand at this podium to deliver happy new year and smile and say good news, but unfortunately … we have several individuals whose family’s lives are changed because they will not be here to bring in 2024,” Evans said.
The rock band performing at the venue before the crash, moe., posted a statement on Facebook, expressing their “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. “Our hearts go out to the family and friends of those who lost their lives, and our thoughts are with those who were injured.”
CNN reached out to the Rochester Police Department, the Rochester Fire Department, the Kodak Center and the FBI for further comment.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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