A long-standing dispute between a Brooklyn, New York couple ended in tragedy on Monday morning, May 27, 2024, when Teddy Knight, 35, fatally shot his girlfriend, Tanezia Blockwood, 29, before turning the gun on himself. The incident occurred in their Midwood apartment and was witnessed by Knight’s mother, Norma Knight.
Norma Knight, 65, who resided with the couple in their apartment close to Avenue I and Ocean Avenue, shared her account of the incident in an interview. “He went into the cupboard, grabbed a gun, and started shooting her,” she said. “He shot her twice, she fell to the floor, and then he stomped on her face.” Following this, Teddy Knight turned the gun on himself, taking his own life in front of his horrified mother.
Police arrived at the scene around 10:10 a.m. and found the bodies of Blockwood and Knight with gunshot wounds to their heads. The couple’s two small children, a two-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl, were in the apartment at the time of the incident but were not physically harmed. They have since been placed under protective care.
The fatal confrontation reportedly stemmed from ongoing arguments about money and their children. “They had been dealing with problems related to the children, rent, and money for a long time,” Norma Knight told the media. “It finally reached a breaking point.”
Neighbors described the couple’s relationship as tumultuous. Daniel Desir, a neighbor, expressed his shock at the incident, describing Blockwood as a “beautiful and gentle young woman.” Another neighbor recalled hearing frequent arguments from the apartment, with tensions escalating in recent weeks.
Blockwood had recently completed nursing school and was working at a hospital. According to her aunt, she planned to move out with her children the following week, which might have contributed to the heightened conflict. “She was a beautiful person and very dedicated to her children,” her aunt said. ” She was not the type to argue.”
Teddy Knight was described by neighbors as a demanding individual who wanted things to go his way. “He seemed more stressed than usual lately,” one neighbor noted. Despite their frequent disputes, the couple was generally viewed as a “nice” family by those who knew them.
Norma Knight provided more details about the couple’s last hours. “Last night, I was in bed and couldn’t sleep. I heard them making noise in their bedroom,” she said. “I didn’t get up to see what was going on.” The argument persisted into the morning. “When I got up, I saw her packing clothes into a laundry bag. They started yelling and fighting and eventually ended up in the bathroom,” she continued. “They kept fighting until my son left and returned with the gun,” Norma said.
The police are continuing their investigation into the incident. They have not yet officially ruled it a murder-suicide, although all indications point to this conclusion.