NYPD officers shoot armed suspect in Far Rockaway after home explosion; 2 found dead inside

A 33-year-old man was shot by NYPD officers, and two of his family members were later found dead inside their burning Queens home on Saturday, police officials said during an afternoon briefing on the incident.

The man, identified by police as Keegan Thompson, was armed with a shotgun and emerged from the home following a fiery explosion before officers opened fire when he refused commands to drop the weapon, Assistant Chief Christopher McIntosh said.

Officers responded around noon to a 911 call reporting gunfire inside a residence on Ocean Crest Boulevard in Far Rockaway, McIntosh said. The caller — Thompson’s wife — told dispatchers her husband was armed, had a history of mental illness and had "killed them,” McIntosh said.

When officers arrived, they found the wife outside the home, where she told them she had heard gunshots from a room inside, went to investigate and saw a body on a bed before fleeing and calling 911, McIntosh said. She warned officers that Thompson had a shotgun, McIntosh said.

Patrol officers requested the department’s Emergency Service Unit and make several unsuccessful attempts to contact Thompson, who was inside the home, McIntosh said.

At about 12:15 p.m., as ESU officers prepared to enter, a “large fiery explosion” erupted from the home, he said. Within 15 to 20 seconds, Thompson emerged bearing a shotgun and wearing a tactical vest containing additional ammunition, he said.

Officers issued “numerous verbal commands” for Thompson to drop the weapon and raise his hands, but he did not comply, the assistant chief said said. Officers then opened fire, striking him, he said. McIntosh did not say whether Thompson had discharged his weapon.

Thompson was taken into custody and treated at the scene before being transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he is in critical but stable condition, the said.

Thompson has no prior criminal record and no documented history of mental health issues with the NYPD, he said.

Responding officers were also taken to a hospital, McIntosh said, though he did not provide details on their conditions.

After the altercation, investigators discovered two family members dead inside the residence, McIntosh said. Their identities were not immediately released, and the causes of death remain under investigation, he said.

Officers evacuated nearby houses as a fire from the home spread following the explosion, McIntosh said.

The incident was captured on body-worn cameras and is under review by the NYPD’s Force Investigation Division, he said.

“It can’t be overstated, the bravery of the officers who responded today,” McIntosh said. “They responded to a 911 call not knowing what was waiting for them — and they ran toward the danger with no hesitation.”