A Queens mother recalled the fear and terror she and her family endured as they cowered in their upstairs apartment amid an explosion that filled their home with black smoke and the sound of gunfire as police shot a troubled vet accused of executing his mother and sister downstairs.
The 34-year-old mother, who only gave her name as Shakira, said she, her girlfriend and four children, her 12-year-old son, 12-year-old godson, and her daughters, ages 1 and 4, were watching television in their living room Saturday when a loud bang erupted just before noon.
“[I said], ‘Damn what are they doing downstairs?’ I guess being in New York City, we’re kind of used to strange noises, so we didn’t think anything of it,” Shakira’s girlfriend, Cherise said. “I thought it was a gunshot, but I didn’t want to think the worst.”
After a second bang rang out, Shakira’s son peered out their window to find cops surrounding their home on Ocean Crest Blvd. near Hartman Ln. in Far Rockaway, with their guns drawn.
“When I heard the noises I thought I was gonna die,” he told the News. “My little sister was crying.”
The terror unfolded as her landlord’s son, Keegan Thomas allegedly killed his mother and sister before setting off an explosion at the Queens home and racing outside brandishing a gun. Thomas was charged Monday afternoon with murder, attempted murder, arson, and weapons possession. He was also charged with aggravated animal cruelty; a dog and a cat died in the blaze.
Shakira and Cherise, 51, looked out another window with a view of their backyard as they heard the noise erupt.
“I got scared and we all ducked on the floor. I got hysterical… We really didn’t know what was going on outside,” Cherise said.
Unbeknownst to the terrified family, Thomas, the 33-year-old military veteran who lived a floor below them, had just shot and killed his mother, Clemer Ponce, 56, and sister, Selena Ponce, 28. Thomas, who had barricaded himself inside the two-story home while cops tried to talk to him, then set off an explosion in the garage.
“There was a big boom. The house shook. All the floors, the walls shook. [Then] the smoke started coming up the steps and through the walls,” said Cherise.
“We couldn’t breathe, and my baby started choking,” Shakira said.
As thick smoke blanketed their apartment, Shakira said she heard “50 gunshots” ring out. The police opened fire on Thomas, who ran out of the home wearing a tactical vest and carrying a shotgun, which police said he refused to drop despite officers’ repeated orders to do so.
“I jumped over the kids and I had them on the floor,” Cherise recalled. “We were scared to run out of the apartment without cops knowing we were coming out because we were afraid of getting shot.”
As the family ran outside, Thomas was lying face down in a pool of blood near their front door.
“I seen him on the ground when I walked out,” the 12-year-old son said. “There was a lot of blood on the floor. I had to step over him. My head was hurting and I was dizzy.”
After detectives finished interviewing the couple, about two hours later, medics took the family to a nearby hospital. Doctors said they had all inhaled a lot of smoke but would be okay. Since the incident, Shakira’s typically happy-go-lucky son has been sleeping in her bed every night.
“I can’t really sleep at night. I get nightmares of what happened,” the boy said. “And every time I hear a loud sound, I jump and my heart starts beating.”
Obtained by Daily News
Shooting victims Clemer Ponce, left, and Selena Ponce. (Obtained by Daily News)
The family has not been allowed back inside their apartment since, and have been staying in a hotel room, provided by Red Cross. Even if they could eventually return, Shakira said the family doesn’t want to live there anymore.
“I’m traumatized,” she said, adding that she’s barely eaten and has been unable to breastfeed her daughter since. The family started an online fundraiser, hoping to raise funds for new housing, basic necessities they now lack, and mental health support.
Cops were initially alerted about the situation by Thomas’ wife, who called 911 after hearing gunshots and discovering a body on a bed. Thomas’ wife warned responding officers that Thomas had a mental illness and was armed, according to NYPD officials.
“Kill, kill them, kill them,” Thomas allegedly said.
“His family was already dead and he set off an explosion to blow the house up. I believe his intention was to kill us too,” Shakira said.
Shakira, who had lived above Thomas and his family for five years, said “he had a blank stare in his eyes every time I saw him, and there was just something strange about him. He was not a friendly person. He was just strange,” she said.
Thomas had no criminal history or known mental health history, the police official said.
“His mother was a pastor. She was a church-going person. I do know she was a good person. And her daughter as well. She was helpful, nice. They were good people and they didn’t deserve that.”
With Rebecca White