Four Shot and Killed in Apparent Domestic Violence Homicide-Suicide in Nassau County, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Respond 

LONG ISLAND, N.Y. – The New York chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement after an instance of familicide in Long Island where a man shot and killed four family members and then died by firearm suicide. While investigations are still ongoing, initial reports indicate that those shot and killed included three siblings and the niece of the shooter, and it is suggested that they were gathered to discuss the will of their mother, who had died the week prior by natural causes. 

“Our hearts are with the family members impacted by this horrific incident, who were already grieving the loss of a loved one earlier this month,” said Janet Goldstein, a volunteer with the New York chapter of Moms Demand Action. “This awful shooting reminds us how important it is to keep guns out of the hands of people who are a danger to themselves or others — we need to do everything we can to prevent tragedy. We will continue fighting to ensure people know how to utilize the tools we have access to in New York, including our strong Extreme Risk Protection Order law, so that no other family has to experience this pain.” 

“Easy access to a gun cost an entire family their lives, leaving the victims’ loved ones and our Long Island community in pieces,” said Emma Valenti, a volunteer leader with the Staten Island Academy Students Demand Action chapter. “These heartbreaking tragedies have become all too common in America. Our siblings, parents, and friends are being taken by daily gun violence. Nothing about that is okay. We deserve to be free from the pain and trauma of this crisis and we won’t stop fighting until that goal becomes reality.” 

The stigma surrounding domestic violence — and the role of firearms in perpetrating that violence — means that, too often, we don’t talk about or recognize its full toll. Family annihilation is an instance of domestic violence where a person kills two or more family members such as their partner or children before killing themselves. A study of mass shootings in the United States from 2014 to 2019 found that more than half of all domestic violence–related mass shootings ended with a perpetrator dying by firearm suicide. 

Earlier this month, Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund put out a new report detailing the immeasurable impact of domestic homicide-suicides with a firearm, where surviving family members, friends and community members are forced to mourn lives taken and forever changed by firearms, with some children grappling with the loss of their caretakers. The report also outlined recommendations to prevent future dual tragedies of intimate partner homicide-suicide, including education on risk factors and implementation of the tools that can be used to disarm people who are a danger to themselves or others such as domestic abusers, including Domestic Violence Restraining Orders and Extreme Risk Protection Orders. 

New York has the strongest Extreme Risk Law in the country, allowing law enforcement, district attorneys, family/household members, school administrators, and certain medical professionals to petition for a court order to disarm someone in crisis. New York also has laws to disarm domestic abusers and require them to relinquish their weapons if they have misdemeanor convictions or are subject to restraining orders. More information on how to ensure that these laws are effectively implemented and utilized can be found here. 

With a rate of 4.8 deaths per 100,000 people, New York has the 4th-lowest rate of gun deaths in the US. In an average year in New York, 960 people die by guns and 2,841 people are wounded. More information about gun violence in New York can be found here. 

More information on gun-related domestic violence is available here. Information about the intersection of intimate partner violence and guns is available here. To speak with a policy expert, Moms Demand Action and/or Students Demand Action volunteer, or survivor of gun violence, please do not hesitate to reach out. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or intimate partner violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, available 24/7, for confidential assistance from a trained advocate. If you’re unable to speak safely via phone, you can chat online at thehotline.org.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org/chat to chat with a counselor from the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7, free, and confidential support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress anywhere in the US.