A knife attack occurred early Sunday morning, December 3, 2023, in Far Rockaway, Queens, NY, leaving four family members dead, including two children, and critically injuring another.
The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Courtney Gordon, also injured two veteran New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers before being fatally shot by police.
The NYPD received a distress call around 5 a.m. from a young girl who reported her cousin attacking her family at their home at 467 Beach 22nd Street.
Responding officers encountered Gordon in the driveway, carrying luggage in an apparent attempt to leave after attacking family members. Following a brief and casual exchange lasting roughly 10 seconds, the suspect unexpectedly pulled out a knife, used it to stab one officer in the neck, and hit the other officer in the head. One of the officers was able to draw his firearm and fatally shoot the suspect. The officers, with 28 and 16 years of service, respectively, were rushed to Jamaica Hospital for treatment and are expected to recover.
The attack’s victims were discovered both outside and inside the home. An 11-year-old girl was found critically wounded in front of the house and was later pronounced dead at Long Island Medical Center-Cohen.
Once inside the dwelling, firefighters summoned due to a fire set by Gordon in the living room found a 44-year-old woman, a man in his 30s, and a 12-year-old boy, all fatally stabbed. A 61-year-old woman, also found inside with multiple stab wounds, was taken to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital in critical condition.
Gordon, a Bronx resident, was visiting his relatives in Queens. He had a previous arrest for domestic violence strangulation. The NYPD is treating the case as a domestic violence incident.