Authorities said officers opened fire after Steven Eastwood returned to attacking his mother with a knife.
NORTHAMPTON, N.Y. — A Mother’s Day emergency call from a Topping Drive home ended with Southampton Town police fatally shooting a man accused of attacking his mother with a knife, officials said.
The shooting has drawn a state review because New York law requires the attorney general’s office to investigate deaths caused by police. Local authorities said Steven Eastwood, 28, died at the scene and his mother was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital with serious injuries.
Police said the first 911 call came at about 2:40 p.m. Sunday, when the woman reported that her son was intoxicated and acting violently inside their home. A second call followed as officers were responding. In that call, officials said, the woman reported that Eastwood was threatening her with a knife. Southampton officers reached the home moments later.
Southampton Town Police Chief James Kiernan said officers found Eastwood armed with a knife and near his mother, who was on the floor. Officers told him to drop the weapon. Police said he instead moved toward them, prompting officers to back away while trying to pull him from the victim. Within moments, officials said, Eastwood turned back to his mother and continued the attack.
Police said officers fired when Eastwood was actively stabbing and slashing the woman. Emergency medical workers from Flanders Northampton Ambulance pronounced Eastwood dead at the home. The woman, 62, had more than 40 apparent stab and slash wounds, officials said. Authorities had not publicly identified her by name.
The home is commonly described as Riverhead because of its mailing address, but it sits in Northampton and falls under Southampton Town police. Suffolk County police said three Southampton officers were treated at a local hospital and released. Officials later described the hospital visits as trauma evaluation and support after the violent call.
Detectives from the New York State Attorney General’s Office, the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad and Southampton Town police are involved in the investigation. The review is expected to include officer statements, emergency calls, scene evidence and any available recordings. Officials had not announced a timetable for the release of findings.
The case drew attention across the East End because it began as a domestic call and ended with both a serious stabbing victim and a police-involved death. Kiernan said the officers faced an ongoing deadly assault. He said the department’s thoughts remained with the victim, her family and all those affected.
As of Wednesday, no motive had been released. The woman remained the central surviving victim in the investigation, and state officials remained responsible for reviewing the officers’ use of deadly force.
Author note: Last updated May 13, 2026.