AndrewBlakeNew York, NY – Police announced that the suspect arrested for a fatal bombing that killed a 73-year-old man was actually targeting a police officer.
George Wray opened a package bomb placed on his porch on July 29, 2017. It exploded and badly burned the man.
Wray died from his injuries on Aug. 1, 2017.
Police originally believed that the bomb was meant for a Bloods gang member. But after they reconstructed the package, they found a police officer’s name on it.
The bomb was a cylindrical-shaped package filled with black powder, according to the New York Daily News.
Police arrested Victor Kingsley, 37, in Brooklyn on Feb. 28 after an extensive police stakeout, according to the New York Daily News
Investigators said they believed Kingsley was targeting a police officer who arrested him on a weapons possession charge. The officer told investigators he remembered receiving threats.
Police searched Kingsley’s computers and found he had searched the officer’s name, as well as researched how to make bombs.
“It looks like he may have been targeting a police officer,” a source told the New York Daily News. “He thought the cop lived there — but he didn’t.”
Police said another completed bomb, and components to make a third bomb, were found in Kingsley’s home. That worried the suspect’s neighbors, according to the New York Daily News.
“He could had blown off the whole block,” said Louise Joseph, a neighbor. “We should have known. Right now we are upset.”
Police said he may have been planning to bomb the judge and the prosecutor who handled his case, too. Investigators also found their names and information on Kingsley’s computer.
Kingsley was charged with use of a weapon of mass destruction and transportation of explosive materials, the New York Daily News reported.