The individual behind a tragic murder-suicide that left five people dead in Long Island was identified as the son of the family's recently deceased matriarch and was on the porch 'screaming' in rage before shooting himself, said the neighbor whose Ring camera captured the moment.
Authorities mentioned that the gunman , identified by neighbors as Joseph DeLucia Jr, was struggling deeply with his mother's death. Theresa Martha DeLucia died on August 19, at age 95, prompting her other children to decide to sell the family home.
However, one son that lived with her and 'suffered from mental health issues' according to neighbors, didn't take the suggestion of the sale too well. The siblings shared the Syosset residence, a family tie that led up to the violent rampage inside the modest blue house on Wyoming Court. Police said the four victims were three siblings and a niece.
At a press conference this afternoon, the victims were officially identified as Joanne Kearns, 69, from Tampa, Frank DeLucia, 64, from Durham, North Carolina, and Tina Hamon, 64, and her daughter, Victoria Hamon, 30.
Neighbor Wendy Paisner, talking about the moment Joseph DeLucia killed himself said the video is hard to hear. "It’s real disturbing to hear. He was screaming, crying. The police have it. A wailing, screaming combination, and then you hear the gun, then he’s wailing again, and that’s it," said Paisner.
Paisner's Ring camera disturbingly captured the sound of the shooter taking his own life on the lawn, and she promptly handed the audio over to the authorities as they scoured the neighborhood.
Bearing witness to the gruesome aftermath across the street, Paisner expressed her sorrow, saying, "His mother passed away, and I think that triggered him. You know that they were selling the house." She added, "There were challenges. It's really sad."
By the time Nassau County police arrived on the dead-end Syosset street, they discovered a man dead outside the residence, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Then, they found four other victims found inside the home.
Paisner, a 30-year resident of the block, recounted her interaction with the man and his visiting brother the day before the tragedy. "He was sad. I said - ironically - I just said to him, 'Things will get better.' What can you say? He was distraught," she revealed to The Post . "He lived there all his life, so I'm just guessing the thought of him having to leave and his state of mind maybe [pushed him over the edge] ... He was a petrified person."
The scene of the crime, a modest blue home nestled in a serene dead-end street, is pegged at $900,000 based on a Zillow listing. A realtor mentioned the urgency in selling the house, pointing out that two relatives who were in town for the funeral from Florida were eager to return to the Sunshine State soon.
Details surrounding the appalling act are currently scarce, but police are actively investigating the case. Though neighbors speculate it was a family dispute, police have yet to formally name a motive for the bloodbath.
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