The Wyoming Court home where Joseph Delucia shot and killed his four family members and then himself on the front lawn. (Photo by Hannah Devlin)
Joseph Delucia Jr., 59, of Syosset, was identified by police as the shooter in an apparent murder-suicide in Syosset Sunday, where police say he shot and killed his two sisters, brother and niece.
“Something like this is a real tragedy,” the Delucia family’s longtime neighbor and friend, Randy, said. “[It’s] a real shame that this happened, and my blessings go to the whole family.”
She asked that his last name be withheld.
According to police, Joseph Delucia Jr. shot 12 rounds from a pump action shotgun at his four family members from the kitchen of his home on Wyoming Court into its rear den where his family members were gathered. The four sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
Delucia then walked out of the front of the house, where he lived, and shot himself in the chest as he sat in a chair on the lawn, police said. Neighbors said the lawn chair had been moved by police during the investigation.
Neighbors said he was shouting on the front lawn before shooting himself.
The four victims were identified as his sister Joann Kearns, 69, of Tampa; his brother Frank Delucia, 64, of Durham, N.C., his sister Tina Hammond, 64, and her daughter Victoria Hammond, 30, who both lived in East Patchogue.
“In 41 years, that is probably one of the most horrific scenes I have ever seen,” Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said. “Walking into that back room of that house where these four victims lie after being shot multiple times and also the individual, the shooter, being on the front lawn also committed suicide.”
Ryder said the responding officers met with a peer support group after responding to the homicide, speaking to the gruesome scene.
Joseph Delucia was an auto mechanic who worked at a local dealership, police said. He lived in the Syosset home for his entire life with his mother, Theresa Delucia, who died on Aug. 19. Her funeral was held Friday.
Neighbors said the family was planning to sell the house after the mother’s death.
Longtime neighbor Randy said Delucia was concerned about his housing situation after his mother’s death. The family had disagreements, but was not known to have tension or issues between siblings, Randy said.
Police said surviving relatives said the suspect was not being cut out of the will but would have had to move.
“[Theresa Dilucia] lived a long, full life, and it’s so unfortunate that the coda to it had to be this,” neighbor Sandy Landsman said.
Police said the suspect had no gun permits and neighbors did not know him to have a gun. Police said they were still investigating the shotgun’s serial number and where it may have been purchased.
Neighbors said Joseph Delucia was known for having mental health problems and was easily upset at times.
Randy said Joseph Delucia was often social and friendly with neighbors. Although Landsman said the suspect was sometimes guarded and unfriendly, he had seemed to calm down in more recent years. Randy said Delucia had not been taking his medication for a period before the incident.
Ryder encouraged residents to reach out to the Police Department with their concerns.
“As a community we hear things, we know things, we see things and if we don’t say something, sometimes the outcomes are like what we get yesterday,” Ryder said.