03 December 2023 , 15:53
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A man has killed four members of his family, including two young children, and injured a fifth in a horrifying attack at a family home in Queens, New York. The attacker also slashed two police officers before he was shot dead by the police.
The New York Police Department received a distressing call from a teenage girl early Sunday morning, who reported that her cousin was "killing her family members". The call came around 5.10 am from their family home on Beach 22nd Street.
Jeffrey Maddrey, NYPD Chief of Department, confirmed the chilling details at a press conference on Sunday morning. He said that when officers arrived at the scene, one officer was slashed across the face by the suspect and another was cut in the neck.
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Police were called to the home at around 5am (PIX11)The suspect was trying to leave the house with luggage when the police confronted him. One of the officers then fatally shot the suspect. When more officers arrived, they found a young child lying outside the house, who had sadly died from her injuries.
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The police had to wait for the fire brigade before they could enter the burning house. Inside, they found three people dead. The victims' names haven't been released yet, but the police have confirmed their ages and genders: a 12-year-old boy, a 44-year-old woman, a man in his 30s, and an 11-year-old girl. Another victim, a 61-year-old woman, was rushed to hospital with multiple stab wounds.
All four victims had been stabbed. The injured officers were taken to Jamaica Hospital and are expected to make a full recovery. The suspect has been named as 39-year-old Courtney Gordon. He was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
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Two police officers were injured by the suspect (PIX11)Maddrey said: "At this time we will continue this investigation with our crime scene unit." He revealed that a "typical kitchen steak knife" was used to injure the officers.
Gordon had one previous arrest for a domestic violence incident involving strangulation, the police confirmed. They also said there were no previous police reports about Gordon at the murder scene. Gordon didn't live at the address and was visiting family there.
The cause of the incident is still unknown. The person who called 911 is being questioned by the police.
Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York spoke at the briefing and described Gordon as a "madman" on a "rampage." He said: "This scene was chaos -- multiple victims, a house on fire, and a madman on a rampage, on a mission. I'm thankful that these police officers showed up. Imagine what could have happened if these police officers weren't there."
"This madman tried to kill -- after he killed others -- a New York City police officer. The skill that this police officer had (by) shooting and stopping the threat after he was being stabbed -- unbelievable skill. I know both these police officers personally. (They) did an unbelievable job. True professionals.
"(They) are great men who were doing their jobs. And again, thank God they were there ... how many more victims could there have been if these skilled, professional police officers did not show up to this scene," he added."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to webhomepage@mirror.co.uk
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