Distraught son Joe DeLucia jnr(left) killed four of his family before turning the gun on himself as they met to discuss winding up his late mother's affairs.
Distraught son Joe DeLucia jnr(left) killed four of his family before turning the gun on himself as they met to discuss winding up his late mother's affairs.
Warning: This story discusses murder-suicide which may be distressing
A New York man who was distraught he was being forced out of his late mother’s home took his anger out on four family members, shooting them dead before taking his own life.
Joseph DeLucia jnr and his family members had gathered at his deceased mother’s home in Long Island to discuss plans for her estate.
Part of the plans required DeLucia jnr, 59, to move out of his mother’s home where he had lived his entire life as they had decided to sell the property.
Distraught son Joe DeLucia jnr (left) killed four of his family before turning the gun on himself as they met to discuss winding up his late mother's affairs.
In a fit of rage over the decision, DeLucia jnr grabbed a pump-action Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun and fired 12 rounds, gunning down his three siblings and a niece before running out to the front yard, yelling about what he had just done before turning the gun on himself, Nassau County Police Captain Stephen Fitzpatrick told media.
His victims were his sisters Joanne Kearns, Tina Hammond and brother Frank DeLucia, as well as his 30-year-old niece Victoria Hammond.
Joanna Kearns has been identified as one of the victims.
Fitzpatrick said the family members had “assembled in the den area” of the mother’s home, where they were waiting for a real estate agent.
DeLucia “approached them in the rear area of the house and, from the kitchen, fired 12 shots, striking all four of them multiple times”, Capt Fitzpatrick said.
“He then took the weapon, went out to the front lawn, was shouting indiscriminately about what happened.
“A neighbour heard him doing this, called 911, and that was our 911 caller. He then... killed himself.”
Neighbours called police when they saw him screaming in the front yard armed with a firearm, but moments later he turned the gun on himself.
“We heard a high-pitched scream, it was Joe screaming, then one shot,” a neighbour told The New York Post.
“I was shocked. I never would have thought beforehand that this would happen.
“We heard he was very upset over this,” the neighbour said referencing the property dispute.
“He didn’t know where to go, he had lived there his whole life. One of the siblings said she would take care of him, that she would let him come and live with her. Apparently, that didn’t sound too good to him.”
Another neighbour claimed DeLucia jnr was known for losing his temper and yelling in the street whenever he was frustrated.
Locals said he had lived in the house his whole life and that being forced to move would have been highly triggering for someone easily frustrated.
One police veteran described the scene as “One of the most horrific scenes I’ve ever seen”.
