Photo Courtesy of Pexels (Kat Wilcox)
On April 5, Joseph McCrimons stopped by the Van Dyke Houses for his daughter’s ninth birthday party in Brooklyn. According to police, after McCrimons arrived, he fatally shot his daughter’s sisters and mother before turning the gun on himself.
The child’s mother, Rasheeda Barzey, had a “rocky” relationship with McCrimons for 20 years, the Washington Post reported. However, there was no documented record of domestic violence throughout their relationship.
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The two share a nine-year-old daughter, however, Barzey, 45, had two other daughters from a different relationship, Solei Spears, 20, and Chloe Spears, 16. All three died from their wounds, along with the alleged gunman, McCrimons.
The unnamed nine-year-old girl hid in the closet during the commotion and cried while reaching out to 911 dispatchers to try to explain what just happened. She was uninjured in the shooting. Her father was
found dead in a walkway, according to the Associated Press. Two guns were also found near his body.The shooting occurred at a public housing complex located in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Detectives on the case noted, “We know he left in an agitated state to meet her.”
McCrimons has a criminal history in the state of New York. The Washington Post also reports that he served several years for a manslaughter charge. The 46-year-old father had allegedly also tried to rob a Wells Fargo bank, threatening them with a bomb.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke on the tragic shootings during a virtual news briefing,
calling it “a really troubling and tragic situation.” A nearby neighbor also remarked on the violent turn of events that day, telling the New York Times “It’s sad because the girl lost her parents. She’s going to be traumatized for the rest of her life.So far, no motive has been found for the fatal shootings and alleged suicide.