Police say son killed three siblings plus niece after mother died

SYOSSET, N.Y. — A man shot and killed four family members before taking his own life on Sunday, August 26, 2024, in the quiet Long Island suburb of Syosset, authorities said.

Joseph DeLucia, 59, used a legally owned 12-gauge pump-action shotgun to kill his three siblings and a niece who had gathered at their late mother's home to discuss selling the property, according to Nassau County police. DeLucia then fatally shot himself on the front lawn of the house where he had lived his entire life.

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said DeLucia killed his brother Frank DeLucia, 63, of Durham, North Carolina; sisters Joanne Kearns, 69, of Tampa, Florida, and Tina Hammond, 64, of East Patchogue, New York; and Tina's daughter Victoria Hammond, 30, also of East Patchogue.

"One of the most horrific scenes I have ever seen," Ryder said at a news conference.

Police said the victims were in the back den of the Cape Cod-style house on Wyoming Court, where Joseph DeLucia had always resided with his mother. As they spoke with the real estate agent about selling the house, DeLucia suddenly appeared with the shotgun and opened fire.

Detective Captain Stephen Fitzpatrick, commanding officer of Nassau's homicide unit, said DeLucia fired 12 shots inside the home. After the mass killing, DeLucia ran onto the front lawn screaming. He dragged a rusty patio chair to the center of the yard and shot himself in the chest under a tree, police said.

Neighbors described DeLucia as a reclusive auto mechanic who had grown increasingly unstable in the two weeks since his mother died. He was reportedly distraught over his siblings' plans to sell the house and split the proceeds.

Several residents of the cul-de-sac said they had noticed DeLucia's concerning behavior but did not alert authorities. Commissioner Ryder said if police had been notified of such threats, they could have attempted to seize DeLucia's shotgun under New York's red flag laws.

Police said DeLucia's only prior criminal history was a 1983 drunk driving arrest. Police had conducted a wellness check at the home in 2022 but did not deem him a threat at that time.

Authorities found outdated psychiatric medication in the house during a search after the killings. Fitzpatrick described DeLucia as a hoarder whose home was packed with tools and auto mechanic equipment.

"He was living there his entire life, never lived on his own," Fitzpatrick said. "So you can see the mindset where his world was now changing, at 59 years old, and he was panicking."

The Long Island massacre stands out as a shocking outlier in Syosset, an affluent suburb known for its good schools and low crime rates.

Sandy Landsman, a psychologist who lives across the street, said DeLucia seemed to struggle emotionally but that she never imagined he would commit such violence.

"It never occurred to me he would do this, but I knew he had a very hard time after his mom's death and was afraid he was going to have to leave the house," Landsman said.

The Nassau County Police Department is continuing its investigation into the incident. Counseling services have been made available to the officers who responded to the scene.