Two family members were found dead inside a Far Rockaway, Queens home Saturday after police shot and wounded an armed man who they say uttered the words “kill them, kill them.” The confrontation happened moments after an explosion was heard from within the home. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Saturd ay evening in a post on X that both victims were women. Their names have not been released. Authorities say that officers went to the house at 2533 Ocean Crest Blvd. after getting a call of shots fired just after noon Saturday from the wife of the suspect, Kegan Thomas, 33. They found the wife outside the home. Smoke billowed from a home where police say an explosion was heard moments before officers shot a gunman. (Image: NBC New York via Citizen App) “She told the officers that she heard guns, gunshots in the room. Walked into the room where she heard shots, and she saw a body on the bed,” said NYPD Assistant Chief Christopher McIntosh, commanding officer of Patrol Borough Queens South. “She immediately ran out of the residence and called 9-1-1. Additionally, she told the responding officers to be careful,” because her husband had a shotgun, he said. Police say Keegan Thomas, 33, was holding this firearm and refused to put it down. Two family members were found dead inside the home where the shooting happened. (Image: NBC New York via NYPD) Officers at the scene requested immediate backup, including the help of the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit to seal off the area. While waiting, officers tried several times to call and talk to Thomas, McIntosh said. “As ESU was preparing to make entry into the residence at approximately 12:15, a large fiery explosion erupted from the house,” McIntosh explained. Within 20 seconds, he said Thomas emerged from the house armed with a shotgun while wearing a tactical vest with additional ammunition. Police say they repeatedly warned Thomas to drop the gun. When he didn’t, officers opened fire, critically wounding him. He was taken to Jamaica Hospital. Investigators have not revealed how the two women found dead were related to Thomas or his wife. The cause of their deaths had not been determined when the NYPD briefed reporters Saturday afternoon. Numerous evidence markers filled the street as police investigated the incident on Ocean Crest Blvd. in Far Rockaway, Queens Saturday. (Image: NBC New York) “When I was taking my son downstairs, the cops already had their guns drawn towards the house where the fire happened,” said neighbor Shawn Williamson.  “And then, they told me ‘go back upstairs,’ so I went back upstairs and by the time I went back upstairs to look out the window to see what was going on, there was an explosion that happened first.” Williamson said after the explosion, “somebody came out and that’s when they told them ‘get on the ground, drop the weapon,’ and then they started shooting.” Responding officers were also taken to the hospital. The FDNY says it was called to the house near Hartman Ln. shortly after noon. When crews arrived, they found the house on fire. Video from the Citizen App showed heavy smoke coming from the home. The house sits near Q302 Queens High School for Information, Research, and Technology. Police say Thomas has no criminal history or record of mental health issues that the NYPD had been aware of, said McIntosh, who added that there is bodycam video of the confrontation. The shooting is being investigated by the department’s Force Investigation Division. When asked by NBC New York, police could not immediately say what kind of explosive device may have been set off. The ESU team was never able to start a conversation with Thomas before the confrontation that led to the shooting, he said. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less