A former New York firefighter said stupidity, not racism, spurred him to set a fire that destroyed a black colleague's apartment.
Matthew Jurado was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for the blaze at Kenneth Walker's home last August. Jurado pleaded guilty in May to arson.
"What happened was a moment of stupidity and not thinking," Jurado said Friday. "I will be sorry for as long I live."
Jurado and Walker were neighbors and members of different volunteer fire companies in North Tonawanda, near Niagara Falls. Walker is North Tonawonda's only black firefighter; Jurado is white.