A man stabbed his mother-in-law to death, knifed his teenage brother-in-law and started a fire inside a multi-family home in Queens, according to police.
The incident occurred just before 4 p.m. Thursday at house on Smart Street near 45th Avenue in Flushing during what may have been a domestic dispute, police sources said. Inside the home, a 50-year-old woman died after she was stabbed multiple times; her 17-year-old son was stabbed as well, but is expected to survive.
Police said the suspect believed to be responsible is a 27-year-old man who was taken into custody at the scene. He was hospitalized in critical condition from self-inflicted injuries, sources said. He set a first-floor back bedroom on fire and then slashed his own wrists, according to police.
Relatives said he is the son-in-law of the woman killed. Neither the victims’ identities nor the suspect’s identity was shared. While police did not provide a motive for the incident, a relative said it may have concerned a break-up.
“They were talking about the divorce. I’m pretty sure that’s what happened. That’s what made him crash out man and stabbing everyone,” the victim’s cousin said.
A knife was recovered at the scene. The NYPD said eight officers had minor injuries related to smoke inhalation. The FDNY quickly doused the flames that had allegedly been sparked by the suspect.
An investigation is ongoing.