Two Buffalo men have been arrested for a fire bombing earlier this month at a home on Shreck Avenue.
U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced the arrest of Avery Ray, age 41, of Buffalo, and William Lovell Smith, age 44, of Buffalo.
The fire bombing occurred on November 1st. Both men have made an initial appearances before federal Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy on a Criminal Complaint charging them with possessing, and conspiring to possess, destructive devices without proper federal registration.
Assistant U.S. Michael McCabe, who is handling the prosecution of this case, said both Ray and Smith conspired, with at least two (2) others, to possess Molotov cocktails on November 1, 2011. At least one (1) of these Molotov cocktails was then used to firebomb the Schreck Avenue residence of a community activist, whom Ray and Smith believed had recently led to the arrest of a neighborhood drug dealer.
The U.S. Attorney’s office says the arrests were the result of a joint and continuing investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives ("ATF") under the direction of Special Agent in Charge, Ronald B. Turk and Investigators from the Buffalo Police Department under the direction of Commissioner Daniel Derenda, and the Buffalo Fire Department under the direction of Commissioner Garnell W. Whitfield, Jr.