A man from New York stabbed four of his family members to death and injured two police officers before being shot and killed by authorities, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD). The incident occurred early Sunday morning after officers received a call from a teenage girl who reported that her cousin was attacking her family members.
Police officers were dispatched to a multi-family home on Beach 22nd Street in Queens. Upon arrival, they encountered the suspect, identified as 38-year-old Courtney Gordon of the Bronx, attempting to leave the premises with luggage. The suspect then stabbed one officer in the head and another in the neck before being shot by a veteran officer.
Before leaving the home, Gordon set a fire, forcing the police to wait for the fire department to arrive and extinguish the flames. Once inside the house, officers discovered five people who had been stabbed. Sadly, four of them did not survive their injuries. The victims included a 12-year-old boy, a man in his 30s, and a 44-year-old woman. An 11-year-old girl and a 61-year-old woman were also found injured.
The injured officers were transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in critical but stable condition. The 11-year-old girl was also transported to a local hospital but was pronounced deceased. The 61-year-old woman remains in critical condition. Gordon was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Authorities have not released the identities of the victims, but they believe that all of them were related to each other. The incident left the scene in chaos, with multiple victims, a house on fire, and a violent suspect. The NYPD Chief of Department, Jeffrey Maddrey, described it as a “madman on a rampage.”
The motive behind the attack is still under investigation. The NYPD is working to gather more information and piece together the events leading up to the tragic incident.