Man Fatally Stabs 4 People, Police Shoots And Kills Him

(Photo by SAMANTHA LAUREY/AFP via Getty Images)

A man has fatally stabbed four family members, including two children, at their home in Queens, New York before police shot and killed him.

On Sunday morning, officials announced that they fatally shot 38-year-old Courtney Gordon after he had been visiting family in the Far Rockaway neighborhood and stabbed four of the family members. 

He also stabbed two police officers, one stabbed in the neck and chest area, and another slashed in the head. They are both expected to recover.

Three people were pronounced dead at the scene. A 44-year-old woman, a 12-year-old boy, and a man in his 30s. 

Following her discovery in front of the home, an 11-year-old girl was taken to the hospital and later declared dead. 

According to the police, all of them may have died from stab wounds and their identities have not yet been publicly released. 

Another woman, 61, was injured in the attack and she is in critical condition after suffering from multiple stab wounds.

At approximately 5:10 a.m. on Sunday, authorities announced at a press conference that they had received a call from a young woman claiming that her cousin was killing her family.

Gordon pulled out a knife and attacked the officers as they were stopping to question him about a luggage bag when they pulled up to the driveway. 

According to police, one of the officers fatally shot him.

A fire that destroyed the living room and foyer area prevented more police officers from entering the house right away after they were dispatched to the scene. They believe that following the fatal outburst, Gordon ignited the fire. Three of the victims were discovered dead inside after the fire was put out by fire officials.

Patrick Hendry, the head of the New York Police Department’s police union, spoke at a media briefing later Sunday morning explaining that the scene was “chaos.”

“This scene was chaos. Multiple victims, a house on fire, and a mad man on a rampage, on a mission,” Hendry said. “The skill that this police officer had shooting and stopping the threat after he was being stabbed. Unbelievable skill.”