Four People, Including 5-Year-Old, Found Fatally Shot In Astoria Apartment

30th Drive near 23rd Street in Astoria

Police are investigating the deaths of four people—two women, a man, and a five-year-old boy—whose bodies were found in their Queens apartment on Monday. The four "were apparently the victims of gunshot wounds," Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea told reporters a press conference last night.

The bodies were found in a first floor apartment at 23-07 30 Drive in Astoria. A cleaning woman reportedly entered the apartment and called the police around 9 p.m. Shea said that EMS pronounced all four dead at the scene.

According to PIX 11, the two women and child were found in the apartment, while the man was found in the backyard "with a slashed throat and gunshot wound." A gun was also found at the scene.

A neighbor told the NY Post the deceased man "was the happiest person I’ve ever seen... He has parties in the back yard — a tall, happy guy.” Sources told the tabloid the male victim "was a physical therapist who recently had been dealing with financial and family problems. In an online posting, he lamented that a custody battle for his son was 'destroying my current marriage and life.'"

911 calls have been made from the building in the past, and police are investigating whether they may be connected to this apartment.

On whether or not this was a murder-suicide, Shea said, "We don’t lean either way, but that is something certainly we will look into."