Police in New York said Monday that the live-in adult son of a recently deceased matriarch shot and killed his three siblings and his niece before turning the gun on himself outside the late mother’s Long Island home.
Nassau County police said Joseph DeLucia Jr., 59, became hostile when his brother and sisters gathered Sunday to discuss selling the house left behind by their 95-year-old mother, Theresa DeLucia, who died earlier this month.
Authorities said Mr. DeLucia, who spent his entire life in the Syosset home, reacted by grabbing a gun and killing his family members.
“The perception of Joseph Jr. was he was being cut out of the will and was going to be displaced without a place to go,” said Detective Capt. Stephen Fitzpatrick on Monday, noting that Mr. DeLucia had a history of mental health issues.
“Because of that perception, he decided that day to get a loaded Mossberg shotgun, 12 gauge, approached them in the rear area of the house, and from the kitchen, fired 12 shots, striking all four of them multiple times,” Capt. Fitzpatrick said.
Police said Mr. DeLucia killed Joann Kearns, 69, Frank DeLucia, 64, Tina Hammond, 64, and her daughter Victoria, 30, during his rampage late Sunday morning.
He then walked out into the front lawn and fired a shell into his chest, authorities said.
Local real estate agent Mary Macaluso told Newsday that she was heading to the home to talk with the family about selling the house. She arrived to find the residence had turned into a crime scene.
“In 41 years, that was one of the most horrific scenes I’ve ever seen,” Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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