Man distraught over planned sale of late mother’s home fatally shoots 4 family members and himself

MINEOLA, NY — A New York man distraught after being forced to leave his late mother’s home shot and killed four members of his family before committing suicide, police said Monday.

Joseph DeLucia, Jr. and his family gathered shortly before noon Sunday at his mother’s home in Syosset, about 15 miles east of New York City on the Long Island suburb of New York, just three days after the matriarch was laid to rest.

But instead of discussing the planned sale of the home where DeLucia Jr. had lived his entire life, the 59-year-old fired 12 rounds from a shotgun he had obtained, killing his three siblings and a niece, Nassau County Police Capt. Stephen Fitzpatrick said.

DeLucia then walked to the front lawn of the cul-de-sac and yelled “randomly” about what he had just done before turning the gun on himself, he said.

The victims were identified as Joanne Kearns, 69, of Tampa, Florida; Frank DeLucia, 64, of Durham, North Carolina; and Tina Hammond, 64, and her daughter Victoria Hammond, 30, both of East Patchogue, also on Long Island.

Fitzpatrick added that other surviving family members told police the DeLucia Jr. family had assured him he would be taken care of and that he would not be cut out of the will, but he still had to leave the home.

He said the family had gathered at the house in preparation for a meeting with a local realtor.

According to Nassau County Police Chief Patrick Ryder, it wasn’t until after the shooting that police discovered there were concerns in the community that DeLucia might harm himself or others, as he was emotional and upset after his mother’s death and didn’t want to be evicted from his home.

With the help of so-called “red flag” lawsHe said police could have intervened and prevented DeLucia from obtaining a firearm if they had been informed that he was struggling with mental health issues.

“These are things that concern us as law enforcement, that we open up so many avenues to ask for help,” Ryder said. “We ask our communities to not sit back. Be our eyes, be our ears and let us know what’s happening.”

Fitzpatrick said police are still investigating reports that DeLucia, Jr. had a history of mental health issues.

The only time police had been called to the home in recent years was for a welfare check, and there were no signs that DeLucia, Jr. posed a danger. His only arrest was for drunken driving in 1983, he said.

DeLucia, Jr., who worked as a local auto mechanic, was also a collector and the house was filled with tools and other auto repair supplies, Fitzpatrick added.

“We’re not saying this incident could have been prevented, but maybe it could have been,” he said.