Disabled Mother Makes Two 911 Calls Before Son’s Deadly Knife Rampage Ends in Police Shooting on Mother’s Day

A routine Mother’s Day turned tragic in the Hamptons when a 28-year-old man allegedly stabbed his wheelchair-bound mother nearly 40 times before he was shot and killed by officers in an incident that left the community in shock.

Officials said the responding officers witnessed a very traumatic scene.

On May 10, at around 2:45 p.m., the elderly victim made a 911 call from her Toppings Path Drive home in Northampton to report that her son, Steven Eastwood, was intoxicated and behaving violently with her.

She made a second 911 call as officers rushed to the scene, this time telling the dispatcher that Eastwood was pointing a knife at her and threatening her.

When deputies arrived, they saw Eastwood standing over his severely injured mother while holding a knife, according to police. Authorities said he ignored repeated commands to drop the weapon and instead continued slashing his mother. Officers then opened fire, fatally shooting him.

The entire incident was captured on police body camera footage, authorities said.

The three responding officers were later taken to a hospital for trauma evaluations. Southampton Police Chief James Kiernan said the officers were “doing okay, but very shook” after witnessing the violence.

Kiernan said police had responded to numerous incidents at the residence over the past decade. “Faced with an ongoing, deadly assault, officers discharged their service weapons, striking Mr. Eastwood and immediately stopping the attack,” he said.

Authorities said a motive has not yet been established.

According to the New York Post, the victim survived the attack and remains hospitalized in critical condition at Stony Brook University Hospital in Long Island. She was medevacked via helicopter for treatment.

Police said the woman has three sons who are triplets, and that two of them reportedly suffer from mental illness. Authorities also said the family has a documented history of domestic violence dating back nearly a decade.

The victim previously obtained an order of protection against her son, though police said it was no longer active at the time of the attack.

Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore said on May 11, “Yesterday’s incident was extremely tragic and violent. Our concerns, first and foremost, are the victim and her family as she continues to fight the very serious injuries.”

“We’re grateful for the rapid response and the professionalism demonstrated by our police officers, EMS personnel, and assisting agencies during a dangerous and rapidly evolving situation,” Moore said.

The New York State Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation into the fatal police shooting, which is standard procedure in all police-involved deaths in the state, according to the New York Post.

Neighbors said they were shocked to learn about the attack.

“It’s beyond even thought that someone would do that to their own mother -- terrible,” Ruben Fernandez said, according to CBS News.

“You would never expect it to happen in your own neighborhood. Cars were zooming by my house,” Joe Divello said.

Fernandez said the victim appeared to be a kind mother to all her children. “She had some difficulty with the children when they were younger, you know, all along,” Fernandez said.

“We’re all heartbroken about it.”