Four family members were killed in a stabbing spree in Queens early Sunday morning that also wounded another person in the home and two officers, the New York Police Department said.
Police responded to a Far Rockaway residence at 5:10 a.m. after a young girl called 911 to report her cousin was killing her family members, NYPD Chief of Department Jeff Maddrey said.
Two responding NYPD officers encountered a man later determined to be the suspect — a family member of the victims — in a driveway. Police said he was leaving the residence and carrying luggage when they stopped him to ask a couple of questions.
After engaging in casual conversation for about 10 seconds, the suspect pulled a knife on the officers, stabbing one in the neck and striking the other in the head, Maddrey said.
One officer pulled out his weapon and shot the suspect, identified as Courtney Gordon, 38. He was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead on arrival, police said.
Police said more officers responded to the home and found an 11-year-old girl lying in front of the house. She did not survive her injuries.
Officers attempted to make entry into the home to reach the rest of the victims but were stopped by a fire that had been lit in the living room, according to Maddrey. The New York City Fire Department responded and put out the fire.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenney said they believe the suspect lit a couch on fire while leaving the home.
Officers found four more victims in the two back bedrooms of the home. Three of the victims — a 12-year-old boy, a 44-year-old woman, and a man in his 30s — died in the attack, Maddrey said.
A 61-year-old woman is in critical condition and is being treated at a hospital for multiple stab wounds, he said.
The officers were taken to local hospitals, where they are being treated for their injuries. Both are expected to be OK, Maddrey said.
Maddrey said officers recovered a typical kitchen steak knife at the scene, which was the weapon used to injure the police officers. No other weapon has been recovered, and a motive is not known.
The 911 caller was being interviewed by police.
Kenny said they believe the suspect, a Bronx resident, was visiting his family in Far Rockaway when the attack occurred.
