QUEENS, NY – In a horrifying family tragedy early Sunday, a man stabbed four relatives to death at a home in Queens. Following his gruesome assault, he attacked two responding police officers, who eventually shot him dead.
Bronx resident Courtney Gordon, 38, is alleged to have carried out the deadly attacks. At around 5 am, in the Far Rockaway neighborhood, two patrol officers responding to a 911 call confronted Gordon as he was exiting the residence, recounted NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey during a press conference following the incident.
Upon attempting to communicate with Gordon, he brandished a knife, slashing one officer in the neck and the other in the head. Despite their injuries, one of the officers managed to withdraw his service weapon and shoot the attacker, incapacitating him.
Emergency medical services rushed the three men to a nearby hospital, where Gordon was pronounced dead on arrival. The officers, suffering from non-life-threatening injuries, were under medical care.
Among the victims discovered, sadly, was an 11-year-old girl lying unresponsive outside the house. The distressing situation turned more complicated as additional officers attempting to reach other victims within the house were impeded by a fire that had been started in the house’s living room.
Joe Kenney, Chief of Detectives, stated that they believe Gordon set a couch inside the house on fire while exiting. Firefighters from FDNY extinguished the raging fire, allowing first responders into the residence, only to find an unsettling scene – four more victims in the back bedrooms.
A 12-year-old boy, a woman aged 44, and a man in his 30s had lost their lives, while a 61-year-old woman with multiple stab wounds was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition.
Police recovered a kitchen steak knife, believed to have been used against the officers, and are investigating whether it was also the weapon used in the multiple stabbings. Investigations, including interviews with the 911 caller, are ongoing to unearth the motive behind the chilling episode.