- Police responded to a call about shots fired shortly before noon.
- Officers found a man suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the lawn.
- Four other victims were found dead inside a small blue house.
Five family members were shot dead in a tragic murder-suicide as the family gathered at their mother’s Long Island home following her funeral.
Police say they responded to a call about shots fired on the quiet cul-de-sac off Wyoming Court in Syosset shortly before noon Sunday, and found a man suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the front lawn.
Officers later found four more victims dead inside the small blue house, which they planned to sell following the death of their mother last week. Newsday reports.
The victims had not been identified as of Sunday night, but property records show the home previously belonged to Theresa Martha DeLucia, 95, who was buried Friday.
One of her sons, who lived in the home with DeLucia, is now believed to have killed his siblings and family members before shooting himself in the front yard over a dispute over the sale of the home. according to News 12 Long Island.
Officers found a man with a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the front lawn of this Syosset, New York, home on Sunday, and four other victims inside.
“The mother had just passed away and they were selling the house,” real estate agent Mary Macaluso told Newsday.
He said he was supposed to meet his relatives at the house around noon, but when he arrived, authorities had already closed the street.
“All the kids were here for the funeral and they asked me to come see the house,” Macaluso said, explaining that one of DeLucia’s sons asked him to meet with the family so they would know what to do before putting the house up for sale, which is It is estimated to be worth nearly $900,000 on Zillow.
The family wanted the evaluation done quickly because two of their members came from Florida for the funeral and would be returning soon, he said.
Property records show the home most recently belonged to Theresa Martha DeLucia, 95, who was buried Friday.
But the suspect, believed to be in his 60s, had lived in the home all his life, and neighbors say losing the house was too much for him to bear. according to ABC 7.
“I didn’t think he would take his whole family, his brothers,” said a neighbor. He told Fox 5 New York.
“I thought maybe he was distressed and did this only to himself.”
Other neighbors said they heard gunshots, as they remained in shock at the gruesome scene.
One of her sons, who lived in the house with DeLucia, is now believed to have killed members of his family before taking his own life.
Neighbors were shocked by the gruesome scene in the normally quiet suburban neighborhood.
“I initially heard it was a murder-suicide, and that’s pretty bad,” Mike Steffens told ABC 7. “And then I heard that four people had been murdered and then it was a suicide, so that’s something you don’t hear very often, let alone in your own town.”
Another resident, Wendy Paisner, called the murder-suicide a “tragedy for the family” in her Comments to NBC 4 New York.
Nassau County police say they are not identifying any of the victims, the shooter, a possible motive or what weapon was used in the shooting.
They will release more information about their findings on Monday.