NYPD said in a news conference on December 3 that seven people were stabbed in Queens, New York. Four people are now dead after the stabbing, including a 12-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy. The perpetrator stabbed two police officers with a kitchen steak knife before being shot and killed by a veteran officer on the scene. Police identified the perpetrator as 39-year-old Courtney Gordon, killing four of his family members before stabbing two officers. Officers received a 911 calls from a girl show said her cousin was killing her family members shortly after 5 a.m. on December 3.
Police called to the Far Rockaway neighbourhood in the early hours of December 3 found the victims in a home that had been set on fire.
The male suspect stabbed two police officers before being shot by one of the injured officers.
The suspect was taken to hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
In a press briefing at Jamaica Hospital, police confirmed that they received a 911 call at 05:10 local time, when a “young female caller stated that her cousin is killing her family members”.
Two officers were sent to the address on Beach 22nd Street where they saw a male walking out with luggage.
When the officers tried to talk to the male he pulled a knife out, stabbing one officer in the neck and chest area, and a second officer in the head.
One of the officers was able to take out his firearm and shot the suspect.
When more officers were dispatched to the scene, they found an 11-year-old girl at the front of the house. She was taken to hospital but later died of her injuries.
After the New York Fire Department arrived at the scene, emergency services found the bodies of three other people inside the house: a 12-year-old boy, a 44-year-old female, and a male in his 30s.
A 61-year-old female was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital with multiple stab wounds.
Police believe all victims died as a result of stab wounds and a kitchen steak knife was recovered from the scene.
Courtney Gordon had one prior arrest for domestic violence in the Bronx.
He was visiting his family members in Queens at the time of the attack.
Police said that the investigation was ongoing, but that the person who made the 911 call was being interviewed at the police station.
