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A New York man distraught that he was being forced to move from his late mother’s home shot and killed four of his family members before taking his own life, police said Monday.
Joseph DeLucia, Jr. and his family had gathered shortly before noon on Sunday in his mother’s home in Syosset, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Manhattan on suburban Long Island, just three days after laying the matriarch to rest.
But instead of discussing the planned sale of the home, where DeLucia Jr. also lived, the 59-year-old fired 12 rounds from a shotgun he’d obtained, killing his three siblings and a niece, according to Nassau County Police Capt. Stephen Fitzpatrick.
DeLucia then walked out to the front lawn of the cul-de-sac street, screamed about what he had just done and turned the gun on himself, he said.
The victims were Joanne Kearns, 69, of Tampa, Florida; Frank DeLucia, 64, of Durham, North Carolina; and Tina Hammond, 64, and her daughter Victoria Hammond, 30, both of East Patchogue, also on Long Island.
Using so-called “red flag” laws, local police could have potentially prevented DeLucia from obtaining a firearm if they were made aware he was dealing with mental health issues, Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said Monday.
He said officers learned only after the shooting that some in the neighborhood were concerned DeLucia might harm himself or others as he had been emotional and distraught following his mother’s death.
Police said Monday his family had assured him they would provide for him after his mother's death, but that he would have to move elsewhere.
“These are things that are disturbing to us as law enforcement as we open so many avenues to ask us for help,” Ryder said. “We are asking our communities to not sit back. Be our eyes, be our ears and let us know what is happening.”
But while DeLucia Jr. appeared “sad and confused” in recent days, there were no obvious warning signs he would turn violent, said Randy Marquis, a neighbor who has lived across the street from the family's home for about a decade.
“We had no idea this was coming,” she said, adding that she wasn't even aware he owned a gun. “If we knew he was going to do this, we would have said something, of course we would.”
Marquis said she had been planning to drop off food for the family when the shooting happened Sunday as she often checked up on their 95-year-old mother, bringing her food and even visiting her when she was hospitalized.
The family had gathered at the house ahead of a meeting with a local real estate agent and were also celebrating Tina Hammond’s birthday, she said.
Fitzpatrick said police were still looking into reports DeLucia, Jr. dealt with mental health issues.
The only time police had been called to the residence in recent years was for a wellness check, and there had been no signs DeLucia, Jr. was a danger at the time. His lone arrest was for driving under the influence back in 1983, he said.
DeLucia, Jr., who worked as a local auto mechanic, was also a hoarder and the house was packed with tools and other car repair items, Fitzpatrick added.
“We’re not saying this incident could have been averted,” he said. “But maybe it could have.”
