Bizarre dad slay; 3 others wounded
Queens stabbing shocks neighbors of ‘quiet’ fam
A deranged Queens man fatally stabbed his elderly father during a Thursday morning rampage inside their apartment, with three critically injured family members mysteriously found unconscious once police reached the bizarre scene, cops said.
Police were summoned by a 6:30 a.m. call to 911 reporting an incoherent Jamie Walker in the hallway outside the crime scene, where a pair of scissors was found and the suspect admitted hurting someone inside the residence, police said.
Officers entered to find 72-year-old Loandous Walker dead of multiple stab wounds in a bathroom — with the alleged killer’s unconscious mother, brother and sister-in-law found lying on a mattress in the living room, said NYPD Deputy Chief Joseph Kenny.
“They had no apparent signs of trauma to their bodies,” Kenny said of the victims, adding that all three were expected to survive.
The 30-year-old suspect was immediately placed under arrest without incident, he added.
A stunned Ian Ramsey, a local mechanic who has known the family for 15 years, described them as “quiet people” and regular churchgoers.
“I can’t believe this happened,” said Ramsey, 63. “They were good people. I don’t know what could have prompted that, because these people always keep to themselves ... very nice people.”
Neighbor Tamara Simpson, 43, was awakened by her son after police arrived at the typically quiet building.
“I am still very confused and shocked,” she said. “I didn’t notice any kind of (strife) in their family. They would always say hello. They kept very close to themselves. This is why we are all in shock.”
Police said the apartment shared by the murder suspect and his parents had no prior calls for domestic violence or emotionally disturbed people.
The survivors inside the family’s apartment on Hempstead Ave. in Queens Village were identified as the victim’s 70-year-old wife, along with a second 31-year-old son and his 29-year-old wife.
According to Ramsey, the older son and his wife had just moved into another apartment in the building on Jan. 1.
“The dad was a good man,” said Ramsey, 63, who has worked on the victim’s red Toyota Corolla since 2006. “The wife and two sons always go to church.”
Medics rushed the three unconscious victims to Long Island Jewish Medical Center in critical condition as the investigation continued. Jamie Walker was taken to an area hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.
First responders initially suspected the incident was some kind of mass suicide, but that possibility was quickly ruled out, NYPD officials said.
Construction worker John Matota was working on a site across the street when first responders arrived at the scene and cleared the block.
“Everyone and their mother was out here,” said Matota. “Hazmat was here. Everyone was running upstairs. It was crazy.”