Man killed 3 siblings, niece in murder-suicide in N.Y. suburb after mother's death, police say

A man on Long Island in New York killed his three siblings and his niece Sunday before turning the gun on himself on the front lawn of the home he shared with his recently deceased mother, police said.

The man, Joseph DeLucia Jr., 59, believed he would be cut out of his mother’s will and displaced, Nassau County Police Detective Capt. Stephen Fitzpatrick said at a news conference Monday.

Police said DeLucia shot his siblings — Joanne Kearns, 69; Frank DeLucia, 71, and Tina Hammond, 64 — as well as Hammond’s daughter, Victoria Hammond, 30, on Sunday, two days after his mother’s funeral. DeLucia’s mother, Theresa DeLucia, died Aug. 19 at age 95 and her funeral was Aug. 23, Fitzpatrick said.

DeLucia lived in Syosset with his mother, while two of his siblings lived out of state and Hammond and her daughter lived elsewhere on Long Island. Syosset is roughly 35 miles from Manhattan.

The family had been gathered at the matriarch’s home to meet a realtor to discuss selling it, Fitzpatrick said.

“The gunman’s perception was that he was being cut out of the will and that he would be displaced with nowhere to go,” Fitzpatrick said. “Because of that perception, he decided that day to get a loaded Mossberg shotgun, 12 gauge, approach them in the rear area of the house and from the kitchen, fired 12 shots, striking all four of them multiple times.”

He then went on to the lawn and “shouted indiscriminately about what had happened” and shot himself, Fitzpatrick said. A neighbor heard DeLucia on the lawn and called 911 around noon.

All five individuals were pronounced dead at the scene.

“The entire family is now gone,” Fitzpatrick said.

According to surviving relatives, DeLucia “was being taken care of but he would have to relocate,” from the home he’d lived in his entire life, Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick described DeLucia, a mechanic who worked for a car dealership, as a hoarder and said the house was packed with tools.

“So you could see the mindset, where his world is now changing at 59 years old and he was panicking,” Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick said that it has been reported to police that DeLucia had mental health issues but that authorities had not yet confirmed those reports.

Police had visited the home to perform a wellness check on him in 2022, but Fitzpatrick said he had not displayed any behavior that would have prompted police to take action to take him against his will and he was not believed to be a danger to himself or anyone else at that time.

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder described the scene inside as among the worst he has seen in his 41 years in law enforcement.

Ryder and Fitzpatrick implored people to come forward if they suspect someone is mentally unwell.

“We’re not saying this incident could’ve been averted, but maybe it could’ve,” Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick said authorities were still looking into the serial number on the pump-action shotgun and where it had been purchased.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.