ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- A man accused of setting an early morning fire Sunday that killed two young brothers was attacked by a crowd of people before being arrested.
Derrick Garrett was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of second-degree arson in the deaths of the boys, Albany police Detective James Miller said.
Garrett, 36, who sometimes lived in the burned building, apparently had an ongoing dispute with the boys' mother and was spotted near the house just before the fire, police said.
Clayton Wood, 11, and 2-year-old Richie Wilson were in a bedroom in their second-floor apartment when the fire broke out at 3:15 a.m., police said. Firefighters pulled the children from the home, but they died at a hospital of severe burns and smoke inhalation, police said.
Five other residents escaped the building without serious injury, police said.
The boys' mother was walking home when she saw the fire and ran for help, police said.
A crowd of people later attacked Garrett on the street, and he was treated for injuries at a hospital before being jailed Sunday night without bail, police said.
