Police officers fatally shot a New York City man during a standoff after the suspect allegedly killed four of his extended family by stabbing them.
The victims included two children and the crime was conducted at a home in the Queens borough of the city on Sunday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said that a girl called in to report about the crime in Queens' Far Rockaway neighborhood. She said that "her cousin is killing her family members."
New York City Stabbing
The suspect was later identified as a 38-year-old who stabbed two police officers who responded to the scene. Law enforcement authorities also noted that during the standoff, one of the officers shot the man dead.
Police said that the individual was previously arrested over a domestic violence incident and the latest confrontation resulted in two officers being taken to a hospital but are expected to recover. The four victims included a 12-year-old boy, an 11-year-old girl, a 44-year-old woman, and a man in his 30s, as per Reuters.
The suspect was also related to the stabbing of a fifth person, a 61-year-old woman who was sent to the hospital in critical condition. The man was believed to have set fire to a couch in the home's living room, forcing officers to wait for the arrival of the fire department before entering the building.
When police arrived at the scene, the suspect reportedly threw a steak knife at them, hitting one in the neck and chest and striking another in the head. NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey said during a news conference on Sunday that one officer drew his weapon and fired in response.
The suspect was named Courtney Gordon, who was taken to a hospital after being shot but was later pronounced dead. The police chief commended the two responding officers, a 28-year-old young man and a 16-year veteran.
Maddrey said they could have easily let the person walk past them with his luggage, but instead, they did their due diligence and asked questions before walking up. He then suddenly attacked them, revealing that he was the suspect. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said that the attack seems to have been family-related, according to CNN.
Police Officers Respond
A female neighbor who asked to remain anonymous said on Sunday that she awoke to the sound of gunshots in the morning. She noted that five shots were probably fired, but there could have been more.
The woman said that after she got off the bed, she looked out and saw a man on the ground. He was near the telephone pole near the street, and she probably could not see much of him then. It was the time when two officers were both holding on to each other after confronting the suspect.
Another person who lived a block away from the house where the incident occurred, Issac Ferguson, said things were "getting the way it used to be." He added that people were somehow becoming more and more violent, said the New York Post.
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