NYPD Shoots Armed Man Who Emerged From Exploding Queens Home; Two Family Members Found Dead

NYPD officers shot a 33-year-old Far Rockaway man Saturday after he emerged from his burning home armed with a shotgun and wearing a tactical vest loaded with extra ammunition, moments after an explosion tore through the house, according to NYPD Assistant Chief Christopher McIntosh.

The man, identified by police as Keegan Thompson, remains in critical but stable condition at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. Two family members were found dead inside the home on Ocean Crest Boulevard. Their identities have not been released, and their causes of death are still under investigation, McIntosh said.

How It Started

Officers responded around noon to a 911 call reporting shots fired at the residence, located between Hartman Lane and Beach 25th Street. The caller was Thompson's wife. She told dispatchers her husband was armed and had a history of mental health problems, and that she heard him yelling, "Kill. Kill them. Kill them," according to McIntosh, as reported by CBS News and Newsday.

When officers arrived, they found the wife outside the home. She told them she had gone into a bedroom after hearing gunshots, saw a body on a bed, then fled the house and called 911. She warned officers her husband had a shotgun.

Patrol officers requested the department's Emergency Service Unit and made repeated attempts to contact Thompson inside the home. They could not establish communication, McIntosh said.

The Explosion

At about 12:15 p.m., as ESU officers were preparing to enter, a large fiery explosion erupted from the house. Within 15 to 20 seconds, Thompson walked out carrying the shotgun and wearing the loaded tactical vest, according to McIntosh's account, confirmed across Fox News, Newsday and CBS News.

Officers gave repeated verbal commands for him to drop the weapon and raise his hands. He did not comply. An officer opened fire, striking him. McIntosh did not say whether Thompson had fired his weapon at any point during the standoff.

Officers rendered aid at the scene before Thompson was taken into custody and transported to the hospital. Responding officers were also taken to a hospital, McIntosh said, though he did not detail their conditions.

No Prior Record

McIntosh said Thompson has no criminal history and no documented history of mental illness on file with the NYPD, despite his wife's statement that he had a history of mental health problems. The gap between what a family member describes and what shows up in police records reflects a real limitation in how these situations get flagged before they turn violent. Whether Thompson had been under any private psychiatric care is not addressed in police statements.

Fire from the explosion spread through the home and forced officers to evacuate neighboring residences on Ocean Crest Boulevard, according to McIntosh.

Body Cameras and Review

The entire encounter, from the explosion to the shooting, was captured on officers' body-worn cameras and is now under review by the NYPD's Force Investigation Division, McIntosh said. That's standard procedure for any police shooting in New York City and will determine whether the officers' use of force is found within department policy.

McIntosh praised the responding officers at the briefing. "It can't be overstated, the bravery of the officers who responded today," he said, according to Newsday. "They responded to a 911 call not knowing what was waiting for them, and they ran toward the danger with no hesitation."

Coverage across Fox News, Newsday and CBS News lined up closely on the sequence of events, all relying on McIntosh's briefing. None of the four outlets has independently verified what caused the explosion itself, whether it was accidental, deliberate, or tied to the shooting inside the home. That remains unknown and unaddressed in the available police statements.

The identities of the two people found dead inside the home have not been released. No charges have been filed against Thompson, who is still in critical but stable condition. The NYPD's Force Investigation Division review, along with the medical examiner's determination of cause of death for the two victims, will shape what happens next.