Queens Tragedy: Veteran’s Mental Struggle Ends in Double Homicide and Explosion

On a bright Saturday noon in Far Rockaway, the quiet of Ocean Crest Boulevard shattered when a massive explosion ripped through a two‑story home, followed shortly by a flurry of gunshots. Inside that house, Clemer Ponce, 56, and his daughter Selena Ponce, 28, were found dead – victims of a brutal attack that police say was carried out by their own son, Kegan Thomas, 33.

According to NYPD Chief Christopher McIntosh, officers first tried to talk the suspect down while he had barricaded himself inside. When the garage detonated, the blast rattled the whole block, sending flames licking the walls. Thomas stumbled out clutching a shotgun, a tactical vest slung over his shoulders, and officers opened fire. He was hit multiple times and rushed to Jamaica Hospital in critical but stable condition.

Neighbors who knew Thomas painted a picture of a man who had drifted away after his military service. "I met him twice – once when his mother introduced us – because he didn’t really have any friends here," said Pierre Mazile, 29, who lives next door. "He told me himself he didn’t want friends. He kept to himself, almost on purpose."

Genesis Jiménez, 27, a family friend who had just shared coffee and empanadas with the victims, described the moments before the chaos erupted. "We were chatting about twenty minutes before I heard the police sirens," she recalled. "When the explosion went off, I saw his wife standing outside with officers and I thought, ‘Something terrible has happened.’" Jiménez added that the mother had once mentioned Thomas returning from the military “really messed up in the head.”

Police say Thomas’s wife was the first to dial 911 after hearing gunshots and discovering a body on a bed. She warned responders that her husband suffered from a mental illness and was armed. Despite repeated commands to drop his weapon, Thomas allegedly shouted, “Kill, kill them, kill them,” before the officers were forced to fire.

The scene, captured by a by‑stander’s phone, resembled a war zone: thick black smoke billowed from the shattered garage, over ten gunshots rang out, and firefighters swarmed the blaze. By 1:13 p.m., the FDNY had the fire under control, but the neighborhood was left shaken.

Mazile, watching from his window, described the shock. "The house shook from the explosion. The garage door blew open and smoke poured in. The next second, shots fired, Thomas went down. It was… unreal." He added, "We knew he had issues, but nobody thought it would go this far. I just wish someone had gotten him help earlier."

Authorities confirmed Thomas has no prior criminal record and, surprisingly, no documented mental‑health history in their files. His arraignment is slated for Sunday, while the community grapples with grief and unanswered questions about how a veteran could spiral into such violence.

The tragedy has reignited debates over veteran mental‑health services, early intervention, and how neighborhoods can better support individuals who seem to be withdrawing into isolation.