{"id":35431,"date":"2025-11-10T22:21:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T22:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/35431\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T22:21:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T22:21:08","slug":"niece-of-bronx-triple-murder-suicide-gunman-says-he-was-brought-down-by-mental-illness-drugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/35431\/","title":{"rendered":"Niece of Bronx triple-murder-suicide gunman says he was brought down by mental illness, drugs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The niece of a Bronx man who shot his mother, daughter and daughter\u2019s boyfriend in a horrific triple-murder-suicide<\/a> says he had been her \u201cprotector\u201d before mental health and substance abuse struggles derailed his life.<\/p>\n

Kaseem Stukes, 44, shot to death his 75-year-old mother,<\/a> his 26-year-old daughter and his daughter\u2019s 33-year-old boyfriend inside the family\u2019s apartment inside NYCHA\u2019s Castle Hill Houses last Wednesday before turning the gun on himself.<\/p>\n

\"EmployeesEmployees of the Office of the Medical Examiner remove a body from a murder-suicide at NYCHA’s Castle Hill Houses on Wednesday. (Barry Williams \/ New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

His niece, Dominique Stukes, told the Daily News Kaseem had been a good person before the horrific slayings.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy uncle, only eight years older than me, was like a brother to me,\u201d she said in an email exchange with a Daily News reporter. \u201cEven though we had our differences he was he was my first male role model. He taught me how to fight how to protect myself \u2026 He was actually my protector most of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe worked hard, was loved by his coworkers, showed up for his friends, and always wanted better for his family and those around him,\u201d she added. \u201cHe struggled deeply with mental health and substance abuse, but he was also one of the coolest, most loyal, and most helpful people you could meet. He had a light, an energy that drew people in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nov. 7, 2025: I’d kill him again<\/p>\n

\"Front<\/p>\n

New York Daily News<\/p>\n

Front page of the New York Daily News for Nov. 7, 2025: Sis rages after bro with history of guns and drugs slays family, and himself. Kaseem Stukes shot and killed his mother, Theresa, and daughter, Kianna (insets), and her boyfriend before taking his own life Wednesday in the Bronx.<\/p>\n

Dominique\u2019s mother, Tangier Stukes, told the Daily News last week she wishes her brother were still alive so she could kill him herself<\/a> for what he did. That quote made the Daily News\u2019 front page but Tangier also emphasized Kaseem had been a good person who she believes was warped by his time in prison.<\/p>\n

Tangier last week called Kaseem a \u201cgood father, a good son and a good brother,\u201d adding that he worked driving ambulances for Senior Care EMS.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe devil had to be on his f\u2014ing shoulder, talking to him, whispering in his ear,\u201d she said of the shooting.<\/p>\n

Dominique said her uncle was suffering from demons he struggled to control.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened was tragic for everyone involved,\u201d Dominique said in the email \u201cMy mother saying she (would) kill him again on the front page is disturbing for me and my family to see. She said that out of anger. She loves her brother. She helped my grandmother raise him. Please understand, it\u2019s important to remember that my uncle was not just his worst moment \u2014 he was a man shaped by pain, loyalty, and love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Theresa<\/p>\n

Courtesy of family<\/p>\n

Theresa Stukes. (Courtesy of Henry Tucker)<\/p>\n

Kaseem had been in and out of prison<\/a> on gun and drug charges much of his adult life, including for selling cocaine and crack outside a Bronx NYCHA complex in 2003, authorities said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe grew up learning to be resilient \u2014 to keep going no matter what,\u201d Dominique said. \u201cBut when you live in a world that constantly pushes you into survival mode, when you grow up surrounded by violence, and when you can\u2019t express yourself or access the help you need, that strength can break. The system dims lights like his every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cops responding to a call from a family friend discovered Kaseem dead on a\u00a0 couch with the murder weapon still in his hand, police sources said. His daughter, Kianna Stukes, was dead in the rear of the home along with his mother, Theresa Stukes.<\/p>\n

The daughter\u2019s boyfriend, Andrew Reynosa, was dead near the apartment\u2019s door, officials said.<\/p>\n

\"KiannaKianna Stukes. (Obtained by Daily News)<\/p>\n

Dominique paid tribute to her slain relatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandmother was the pillar of her community \u2014 a strong, loving woman who helped raise so many people beyond her own family,\u201d she said. \u201cMy cousin Kianna, more like my sister, was the listener of our family, the one everyone went to when they needed someone who would understand without judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease use my family\u2019s tragedy to raise awareness about mental health, trauma, and the importance of checking on loved ones \u2014 even the ones who smile the most,\u201d she added. \u201cToo many people suffer silently, carrying pain from their pasts without proper help or understanding. My hope is that our loss sparks real conversations about compassion, early intervention, and community support, so no other family has to experience something like this.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The niece of a Bronx man who shot his mother, daughter and daughter\u2019s boyfriend in a horrific triple-murder-suicide…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35432,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[128,262,263,266,85,267,9,24,264,12,63,261,265,129,131,130],"class_list":["post-35431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-bronx","tag-bronx","tag-city","tag-county","tag-crime-and-public-safety","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-county","tag-news","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-crime","tag-sub-county-region","tag-the-bronx","tag-the-bronx-headlines","tag-the-bronx-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35431\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}