Murder and suicide in New York: Fatal shooting in Syosset linked to dispute over deceased mother's will and sale of house in Nassau County

SYOSSET, Long Island – An adult son, desperate to sell his recently deceased mother's house, killed four of his family members and then himself in Syosset.

It happened on Sunday just before noon at Wyoming Court.

Theresa DeLucia, 95, died on August 19 and her funeral was held last Friday.

Joseph DeLucia Jr. apparently thought he would be cut out of the will and would have no place to stay.

Joann Kearns, 69, Frank DeLucia, 64, Tina Hammond, 64, and her daughter Victoria, 30, were all shot in the back study of the house. Three of the victims were the shooter's siblings and one was his niece.

“Joseph Jr. was under the impression that he was being removed from the will and evicted without the right to stay. He has a history of mental health issues that have been reported to us. Based on this perception, on that day he decided to get a loaded Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, approached them in the back of the house and fired 12 shots from the kitchen, all four of which hit multiple times,” said Detective Captain Stephen Fitzpatrick of the Nassau County Police Department.

Joseph DeLucia Jr. then apparently turned the gun on himself in the front yard of the house.

“Then he took the gun, went out into the front yard and randomly yelled what had happened. A neighbor heard him and called 911, and that was our 911 caller. Then he shot himself in the chest,” Fitzpatrick said.

Some neighbors knew the mother and son, who had lived in the house for decades.

“The mother who owned the house recently passed away. The family was there and from what I understand there may have been an argument,” said Corey Margulefsky, a neighbor.

In fact, neighbors report that a real estate agent came to help the family in town with the next steps to register the house, but there was already a crime scene there.

A neighbor told New York ABC affiliate WABC that the thought of losing the house was just too bad for the son who had lived there his entire life.

He worked as an auto mechanic at a local dealership.

“He was a bit of a hoarder and spent all his money on his tools and other things. The house was pretty much crammed with tools and other things you need for auto mechanics. He lived there his whole life, never alone. So you can imagine how his world changed when he was 59 years old and started to panic,” Fitzpatrick said.

Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder called it “probably one of the most horrific scenes I have ever seen.”

“There has been talk in this community about the plight of this shooter who, after his mother died, decided he didn't want to leave his house. There has been talk in this community about not calling the police when you hear gunshots, it's too late. These are things that concern us in the police force,” Ryder said.

He added that red flag laws exist “for good reason.”

If you or someone you know is going through a mental health crisis, call or text 988 Suicide. & Crisis Lifeline at 988.