Queens stabbing rampage: Family members reveal disturbing behavior of suspect before murders
QUEENS - Family members of 38-year-old Courtney Gordon, the suspect in Sunday’s stabbing rampage at a Queens home that left four family members dead, began to suspect he was suffering from mental health issues earlier this year.
Some said they saw it coming, as Gordon's erratic behavior forced his own aunt and cousin to lock their doors at night while Gordon was sleeping downstairs. They also installed cameras in their home.
"We just told him he can't be here anymore because he's causing too much trouble," his cousin, Sean McKoy, said.
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Far Rockaway stabbings: Relative's rampage leaves 4 family members dead, including 2 children
According to the NYPD, the victims in the stabbing rampage in the Far Rockaway section of Queens have been identified as Richmond Davis, Suzette Taylor-Davis, and children Rojean Davis and Mikklia James.
Gordon's family began to suspect he was suffering from mental health issues earlier this year. McKoy said his cousin's behavior continued to decline, until it took a drastic turn for the worse this week.
"As a cousin, I tried my best to get him a job, try to work with him and, it just wasn't, it just wasn't working out," McKoy said.
According to police, Gordon stabbed four of his family members to death early Sunday morning. They've been identified as Richmond Davis (believed to be in his 30s), Suzette Taylor-Davis, 44, and children Rojean Davis, 12, and Mikklia James, 11.
Gordon's 61-year-old aunt, who took him in, remains in critical condition at New York Presbyterian Hospital in Flushing after being stabbed multiple times.
The family of Gordon began to suspect he was suffering from mental health issues earlier this year.
Police said Gordon then lit the front of the home on fire before walking out with a suitcase. He then stabbed two responding NYPD officers.
One of the officers fired at Gordon to stop him, police said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
A kitchen knife was recovered at the scene.
The two officers were treated for their injuries and released.
The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation has opened an investigation into the death of Gordon.
"They try to get help for him," McKoy said. "They try to get mental health workers to come in and try to see what was going on with him, and he refused it."
McKoy said he and his mother let Gordon live at their home in the Bronx for a few months, but ultimately threw him out following frequent outbursts and uncontrolled anger.
McKoy's mother, who didn’t want to show her face on camera, said the decision may have saved their lives.
"I just wanted him out because when someone have mental issues, you never know when they're going to flip," she said.
According to the Daily News, Gordon's aunt in Far Rockaway allowed him to move in a couple of weeks ago because he had been shuffling in and out of homeless shelters following a separation from his wife.
The two officers who were called to the home and intervened are 16 and 28-year veterans of the force. They're being hailed as heroes for stopping the rampage in its tracks