A man who took his own life after killing four members of his family had shared a concerning post just days before the incident.
The horrific incident unfolded in a quiet cul-de-sac in Nassau County, Long Island, on Sunday, days after the family's 95-year-old matriarch, Theresa DeLucia, died.
Her son, Joseph DeLucia, Jr., 59, is accused of gunning down three of his siblings as well as his niece, before running out onto the front lawn and turning the gun on himself.
The horrifying crime happened in the small blue home Theresa owned in Syosset, and lived in with Joseph, with reports stating that he had become upset at his siblings' plans to sell the property.
Joseph, who worked as an automobile mechanic and had formerly been an EMT, had reportedly lived in the home his whole life and had been upset that he would need to find somewhere else to live once the property, which is believed to be worth $900,000, was sold.
Nassau County Police Capt. Captain Stephen Fitzpatrick said during a press conference that Joseph had used a pump-action Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun to kill his three siblings - Joanne Kearns, 69, of Tampa, Florida; Tina Hammond, 64, of East Patchogue; and Frank DeLucia, 63, of Durham, North Carolina, as the family convened in the den of the home.
He also shot his 30-year-old niece, Victoria Hammond, to death before running out into the front yard and fatally shooting himself.
Fitzpatrick added: "Officers found him with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chest. He was pronounced at the scene."
A neighbor, 73-year-old Sandy Landsman, had called 911 after hearing Joseph screaming in the yard before pulling the trigger, telling the New York Post: "We heard a high-pitched scream, it was Joe screaming, then one shot. I was shocked. I never would have thought beforehand that this would happen."
Landsman added that the man had been "very upset" at the prospect of the home being sold, explaining: "We heard he was very upset over this. He didn’t know where to go, he had lived there his whole life.
"One of the siblings said she would take care of him, that she would let him come and live with her. Apparently, that didn’t sound too good to him."
Fitzpatrick added that investigators had been told that Joseph had past mental health issues, which have not yet been confirmed, however, neighbors said that he had been struggling since his mother died on August 19.
He added that Joseph had been "kind of a hoarder", explaining: "He spent all his money on tools and stuff. The house was pretty much hoarded, packed with tools, stuff involved with an auto mechanic.
"He was living there his entire life, never lived on his own. So you could see his mindset, where his world was now changing and he was in a panic."
Joseph had also shared a concerning post on Facebook on the day that his mother died, just a week before shooting his siblings and himself.
He had posted a photo of a grey Tesla car with a New York license plate reading: "Deprssed".
Still reeling from losing his mother, things appeared to come to a head as his siblings convened on the home over the weekend to meet with a local real estate agent, Mary Macaluso, on Sunday to discuss putting the property up for sale.
Macaluso had been headed to the home to speak to the family, however, when she arrived she found the property had already been taped off by police.
Fitzpatrick added: "When this happened, they arrived to meet the realtor. They brought Starbucks, they were assembled in the den area — the brother had stayed behind."
He revealed that Joseph had fired 13 shots in total, aiming 12 at the victims before firing the final one at himself, meaning he'd had to reload the gun several times.
Officers described the scene they found in the home of the late Theresa, who'd worked for three decades as a nurse at a local hospital as well as volunteering in local shelters and food banks - as one of the most horrifying they'd encountered.
Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said: "In 41 years, that was one of the most horrific scenes I’ve ever seen."
Fitzpatrick also revealed that the man had a clean record bar one arrest for drink-driving in 1983, and there had been one wellness check call to the home in 2022 which did not lead to any police action.
Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of the deceased.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org..jpg_CFVqvz?tr=h-40)
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