Joanne Kearns, Frank Delucia Obituary, Death – A tragic incident unfolded on Long Island, New York when a man who erroneously believed he was being excluded from his mother’s will killed four family members before turning the gun on himself. This occurred on the front lawn of his Syosset home on Sunday, according to authorities.
Nassau County Police Department Commissioner Patrick Ryder described the scene as one of the most horrific he has encountered in his 41 years of service. The shooter, identified as 59-year-old Joseph Delucia Jr., fatally shot his three siblings and his niece while they were gathered in the den of the family home around noon.
The victims included Joanne Kearns, 69; Frank Delucia, 64; Tina Hammond, 64; and Victoria Hammond, 30. All four were shot multiple times and died at the scene. After killing his family members, Delucia fired 12 shots before shooting himself in the chest on the front lawn. Police recovered the shotgun used in the incident at the scene.
Authorities revealed that Delucia’s mother had passed away on August 19. Delucia mistakenly thought he was being excluded from her will, which led to his drastic actions. In reality, he was included in the will but faced the prospect of having to move out of the home where he had lived his entire life.
Police noted that Delucia was not actually cut out of the will, but the situation caused him significant distress. An official from the Nassau County Police Department indicated that Delucia was indeed taken care of in the will, but he would have needed to relocate.
Prior to the shooting, neighbors reported that Delucia had made threatening comments, such as advising, “If you hear shots, don’t call the police. It will be too late.” These comments had not been reported to the authorities. If they had been, police might have been able to take legal action to remove Delucia’s weapon.
The NCPD commissioner emphasized the importance of community vigilance, stating that if concerns about mental health had been reported, the outcome might have been different. He stressed that community members need to speak up if they are aware of potential threats to prevent such tragedies.
Neighbors also shared with Nexstar’s WPIX that Delucia had recently resigned from his volunteer firefighter position, which he had held for years, following his mother’s death.