NEW YORK — Four people, including two children, have been killed and three others injured following a stabbing in Queens, New York.

Police called to the Far Rockaway neighborhood in the early hours of Sunday found the victims in a home that had been set on fire.

The male suspect stabbed two police officers before being shot by one of the injured officers.

The suspect was taken to hospital but declared dead on arrival.

In a press briefing at Jamaica Hospital, police confirmed that they received a 911 call at 05:10 local time (10:10 GMT), when a “young female caller stated that her cousin is killing her family members”.

Two officers were sent to the address on Beach 22nd Street where they saw a male walking out with luggage.

When the officers tried to talk to the male he pulled a knife out, stabbing one officer in the neck and chest area, and a second officer in the head.

One of the officers was able to take out his firearm and shot the suspect.

When more officers were dispatched to the scene, they found an 11-year-old girl at the front of the house. She was taken to hospital but later died of her injuries.

After the New York Fire Department arrived at the scene, emergency services found the bodies of three other people inside the house: a 12-year-old boy, a 44-year-old female, and a male in his 30s.

A 61-year-old female was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital with multiple stab wounds.

Police believe all victims died as a result of stab wounds and a kitchen steak knife was recovered from the scene.

New York police named the suspect as 39-year-old Courtney Gordon, who had one prior arrest for domestic violence in the Bronx.

He was visiting his family members in Queens at the time of the attack.

Police said that the investigation was ongoing, but that the person who made the 911 call was being interviewed at the police station. — BBC