Man goes on stabbing rampage in Queens home, leaving four dead, including two kids
A horrifying and tragic event unfolded in Far Rockaway, Queens on Sunday morning as a man went on a stabbing rampage, leaving four people dead, including two children.
The violent incident began around 5 a.m. when officers received a 911 call about an assault in progress at a home on Beach 22nd Street. The caller, a young female, stated that her cousin was killing her family members, prompting a rapid response from law enforcement.
As officers arrived at the location, they encountered a man leaving the driveway of the residence with luggage. The man, later identified as 38-year-old Courtney Gordon, attacked the responding officers with a kitchen knife, slashing two of them before being fatally shot by the police.
Upon entering the home, authorities discovered the gruesome aftermath of the stabbing rampage. An 11-year-old girl was found lying outside the residence and was pronounced dead at Cohen’s Children Medical Center. Inside, three additional victims, including a 12-year-old boy, a 44-year-old woman, and a 30-year-old man, were found with fatal stab wounds. A 61-year-old woman suffered multiple stab wounds and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
The officers who were slashed in the altercation were taken to Jamaica Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police confirmed that the knife used in the attack was a typical kitchen steak knife and are working to determine if it was the weapon used in the rampage.
During a news conference following the incident, officials revealed that Gordon, who had a prior arrest for strangulation in a domestic violence incident, is believed to have been visiting family at the residence. Gordon, who was from the Bronx, was visiting family members in Far Rockaway at the time of the attack.
The investigation into the motive and circumstances of the violent encounter is ongoing as authorities try to piece together what led to the tragic events of Sunday morning in Queens.