While the details of what led to the knife attack are still unclear, police said they believe the suspect and victims were all family members.
Police in New York said a man was killed by officers after a brutal knife attack that left four people dead, and three others, including two officers, injured in Queens early Sunday morning.
While the details of what led to the knife attack are still unclear, police said they believe the suspect and the majority of the victims were all family members. Two of the victims were pre-teen children.
During a news conference, New York Police Department Chief Jeffrey Maddrey said a 911 call came in just after 5 a.m. from a young woman who said her cousin was killing her family members.
Two officers responded to a group of homes on E 22nd Street in the Far Rockaway neighborhood where the call came from. When they got to the home, they saw a man in the driveway carrying luggage who appeared to be leaving, Maddrey said.
The officers approached the man and asked if he had seen or heard anything. Maddrey said the man drew a knife and stabbed one officer in the neck and the second officer in the head before one of them was able to take out their gun and shoot the attacker.
Both officers, who have over a decade of service in the police force, were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and are expected to be okay, Maddrey said.
As police continued to investigate the scene, they found an 11-year-old girl who was dead from apparent stab wounds right outside of the home.
A couch had been set on fire inside the home, preventing officers from getting inside until the fire department responded to put it out.
Once they were able to enter, they found more victims. A 12-year-old boy, a man in his 30s and a 44-year-old woman were all found stabbed to death in bedrooms in the back of the home. A 61-year-old woman, also suffering from stab wounds, was taken from the home to a local hospital for treatment and is currently in critical condition, police said.
The suspect was identified as 38-year-old Courtney Gordon. After he was shot by officers, he was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Police said Gordon had one prior arrest on record for strangulation in a domestic incident, but that incident occurred in the Bronx.
It is believed he used a “typical kitchen steak knife” in the attack, according to police.
The investigation is ongoing.