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Family Tragedy Ends in
Deadly Police Standoff and
House Fire in Far Rockaway
Deadly Police Standoff and
House Fire in Far Rockaway
FAR ROCKAWAY, QUEENS — A heartbreaking act of family violence has left two women dead, a home destroyed by fire, and an entire Far Rockaway neighborhood searching for answers after a chaotic police standoff Saturday afternoon.
According to the NYPD, officers responded just before noon to a home on Ocean Crest Boulevard near Beach 25th Street after receiving a frantic 911 call from the suspect's wife. She reportedly told dispatchers that her husband, 33-year-old Kegan Thomas, was armed, had a history of mental illness, and repeatedly said he had "killed them."
When officers arrived, the woman told them she had heard gunshots, entered a bedroom, and saw a body lying on a bed before fleeing the house and warning police that her husband was armed with a shotgun.
"The caller states that her husband is armed and had a history of mental illness and he 'killed them, killed them,'" NYPD Assistant Chief Christopher McIntosh said during a news briefing.
Police established a perimeter and requested the Emergency Service Unit (ESU), while attempting unsuccessfully to contact Thomas inside the home. As ESU officers prepared to enter the residence, a powerful explosion erupted from inside the house.
Within seconds, investigators said Thomas emerged wearing a tactical vest and carrying a shotgun.
According to police, officers repeatedly ordered him to drop the weapon.
"Officers issued numerous verbal commands... After failing to comply with repeated commands... officers discharged their weapons," Assistant Chief McIntosh said.
Thomas was struck by police gunfire and transported to a nearby hospital, where he remains in critical condition, according to authorities.
