On Monday, North Tonawanda’s only black firefighter Kenneth Walker received a racist threat in the form of a letter that was sent to his home mailbox. The letter called Walker a “n*gger” and demanded he resign from his position at the fire department—or “regret it.” On Wednesday, Walker’s family home was burned down and his cats were killed.
Now on Friday, a neighbor of Walker’s, Matthew Jurado, 39, has been arrested for burning down Walker’s home where two pets were also killed. In a stunning twist, Walker’s neighbor, Matthew Jurado, 39, was a firefighter himself who trained with Walker and was let go in July.
Jurado was previously thought to be a friend of Kennth Walker and spent time with the Walker family.
The Buffalo News reports:
Police said at the news conference that Jurado acknowledged setting the fire but claimed someone else wrote an anonymous, racist and threatening letter to Walker on Monday. The letter, which used racist slurs, demanded that Walker resign as a firefighter. Jurado gave investigators the name of a person he said wrote that letter, but they said they are looking into the possibility that Jurado wrote the letter.
Jurado has been charged with second-degree arson, a felony.
Jurado’s girlfriend, who lives with him, was the one who called 911 about the fire, according to North Tonawanda Mayor Arthur G. Pappas.
At this time there is no evidence that Juardo also wrote the threatening racist note to Kenneth Walker and Juardo says he did not send it. The case is still under FBI investigation and it is believed the fire was started on the Walker’s couch.
Donations have been pouring in for the Walker family who lost everything in the fire and are mourning their cats that were also killed. A volunteer firefighter from another fire department, who did not know Walker, created a GoFundMe fundraising page, which has raised over $100k in about one day.
“It’s unnecessary, but we’re grateful,” Walker said Thursday afternoon as he stood outside his burned apartment before the arrest.
“We’re overwhelmed,” said Amanda Walker.
The Gratwick Hose Volunteer Fire Company will collect donations for Walker’s family at its hall at 110 Ward Road from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, the Fire Department announced.
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