Four people have lost their lives, and three others sustained injuries following a stabbing incident in New York. Police responded to a distress call in the early hours of Sunday morning in the Far Rockaway neighbourhood in Queens, discovering the stabbing victims in a residence that had been set ablaze.

The assailant claimed the lives of two adults and two children during the attack. Subsequently, the male suspect proceeded to stab two police officers, according to the BBC. One of the injured officers then shot the suspect, who was subsequently transported to the hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival.

During a press briefing at Jamaica Hospital, the police confirmed receipt of a 911 call at 5.10 am local time. The call was made by a ‘young female caller [who] stated that her cousin is killing her family members.’ Upon arriving at the scene, two officers observed a man exiting the house with luggage. When they attempted to engage with him, he stabbed one officer in the neck and chest, and the other in the head.

Additional law enforcement personnel were summoned to the location, where they discovered an injured 11-year-old girl at the front of the house. Despite being rushed to the hospital, she succumbed to her injuries. Emergency services also uncovered the lifeless bodies of a 12-year-old boy, a 44-year-old woman, and a man in his 30s. A 61-year-old woman with multiple stab wounds was transported to the hospital for treatment.