Funeral horror as five relatives are shot dead in Long Island murder-suicide after family gathered to pay respects to mom
- Police responded to a report of shots fired just before noon
- Officers found a man who had shot himself on the lawn
- Four other victims were found dead in a small blue house
Five family members were shot to death in a tragic murder-suicide as the family gathered at their mother’s Long Island home after her funeral.
Police say they responded to a report of shots fired on a quiet cul-de-sac on Wyoming Court in Syosset and found a man who had shot himself on the lawn just before noon Sunday.
Officers then found four more victims dead in the small blue house they had planned to sell after their mother’s death last week. Newsday report.
The victims had not been identified as of Sunday evening, but property records show the home until recently belonged to 95-year-old Theresa Martha DeLucia, who was buried Friday.
It is now believed that one of her sons, who lived in the home with DeLucia, killed his siblings and relatives before shooting himself in the front yard over a dispute over the sale of the house. according to News 12 Long Island.
Officers found a man with a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the lawn of this Syosset, New York, home Sunday — and four other victims inside
“The mother had just passed away and they wanted to sell the house,” real estate agent Mary Macaluso told Newsday.
She said she was supposed to meet her relatives at the house around noon, but that authorities had already closed off the street when she arrived.
“The kids were all there for the funeral and they asked me to come look at the house,” said Macaluso, who explained that one of DeLucia’s children had asked her to talk to the family so they would know what to do before putting the house up for sale. It’s estimated to be worth nearly $900,000 on Zillow.
The family wanted the review to be done quickly because two relatives had traveled from Florida to the funeral and would be returning soon, she said.
Property records show the home last belonged to 95-year-old Theresa Martha DeLucia, who was buried Friday
But the suspect, believed to be in his 60s, had lived in the house his entire life and neighbors say the loss of the home was simply too much for him to bear. according to ABC 7.
“I didn’t think he would take his whole family, his brothers and sisters,” said one neighbor told Fox 5 New York.
“I thought maybe he was upset and that he was only doing this to himself.”
Other neighbors reported hearing gunshots and were still shocked by the horrific scene.
It is now suspected that one of her sons, who lived in the home with DeLucia, murdered his family members before committing suicide.
Neighbors were shocked by the grim scene in the normally quiet suburb
“I first heard it was a murder-suicide, which is pretty bad,” Mike Steffens told ABC 7. “And then I heard it was four people murdered and then it was a suicide. So it was something you don’t hear about very often, let alone in your own city.”
Another resident, Wendy Paisner, called the murder-suicide a “tragedy for the family” in her book comments for NBC 4 New York.
Nassau County police say they have not yet identified the victims, the shooter, a possible motive or the person whose weapon was used in the shooting.
They will announce more information about their findings on Monday.