Two middle-aged brothers were shot and killed inside a Long Island home Wednesday, with their mother and sister later making the horrifying discovery, authorities and local reports said.
Nassau County police said officers responded to a 911 call at a residence on Angevine Avenue in Hempstead shortly before 10:30 a.m., where they found two men suffering from life-threatening gunshot wounds.
A sister identified the victims as Dave Adamson, 52, and Gary Adamson, 49, CBS News reported. Police had not formally released their names.
The brothers, described as beloved members of a large family and two of seven siblings, were found shot inside a home office by their mother and sister, according to WABC.
The unidentified sister told the station that her mother had called because she could not get into the office. When the sister arrived to help, the two women came upon the devastating scene.
“My mom called me. She said she can’t get into her office, so, I said, ‘I’ll be right there.’ So, I came, and that’s what was found,” she said.
“They’re my youngest brothers. They’re good to me. They’re good to my parents,” she said. “One of them takes care of my parents. The other one works. So, I don’t even understand what took place today. I don’t understand any of it,” the grieving sister added.
The close-knit brothers lived in the family home with their parents, who operate a cleaning business, though both men were also fathers with families of their own.
“We never had no fussing, fighting, arguments or anything. So, as I said, they were good people. Good brothers,” the sister added.
Shocked family friend Marjorie Lindsay described one of the brothers as a peacemaker.
“This is one person that I did not believe would have ended like this. His life would have been ended by this,” Lindsay told the outlet.
Cops are now scouring the area surrounding the cordoned-off home to reconstruct the brothers’ final moments.
Residents in a nearby senior housing complex also watched in alarm as emergency responders swarmed the suburban home.
“I was on my way somewhere else. I seen a bunch of police coming over here and when I came back, I seen everyone out there and I seen the tape and I knew something had happened,” one person told CBS.
“They didn’t have time to defend themselves, and it’s very devastating,” another neighbor said. “They were very young, good gentlemen, good people.”
An investigation into the shooting remains ongoing, police said.
Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS or call 911. All callers will remain anonymous.