A knife attack on December 3, 2023, in Far Rockaway, Queens, NY, resulted in the deaths of four family members, including two children, and left another critically injured. 

Courtney Gordon, 38, was identified as the assailant and also injured two NYPD officers before being shot dead by police.

The NYPD received a distress call around 5 a.m. from a young girl at 467 Beach 22nd Street, reporting an attack by her cousin. Officers arriving at the scene engaged Gordon in the driveway, where he appeared to be leaving the premises with luggage. A brief interaction ensued, during which Gordon suddenly assaulted the officers with a knife, injuring one in the neck and another in the head. An officer subsequently shot Gordon, who was then taken to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The injured officers are receiving treatment and are expected to recover.

The victims were found both inside and outside the residence. An 11-year-old girl was discovered critically injured outside the house, later dying from her wounds at Long Island Medical Center-Cohen. Inside the house, firefighters, called to extinguish a fire started by Gordon, found three more victims: a 44-year-old woman, a man in his 30s, and a 12-year-old boy, all fatally stabbed. Additionally, a 61-year-old woman with multiple stab wounds was transported in critical condition to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital.

Gordon, who resided in the Bronx, was visiting family members in Queens. He had a history of domestic violence, including a previous arrest for strangulation. The NYPD is investigating the incident as a domestic violence case.