Grandmother and mother shot dead in custody battle over child: horror near New York mayor's residence

A custody battle turned fatal when the paternal grandmother killed the girl’s mother and then shot herself, along with a baby, in a dramatic scene yesterday in broad daylight next to Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the mayor of New York, in an elegant area of ​​the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

NYPD said Marisa Galloway (45) – mother of two girls aged 4 and 1 – was fatally shot by her former mother-in-law, Kathleen Leigh (65), who arrived at the scene with two guns. The alleged suicidal gunwoman was a retired parole officer from Cook County (Chicago, Illinois) who lived in New York City with members of her family for the past three years, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said yesterday.

Leigh died at the scene and Galloway died after being taken to the hospital. The double tragedy happened shortly before 9 a.m. Friday on East 88th Street between York and East End Avenue, just down the street from the police-attended entrance to Gracie Mansion. People out enjoying the summer day, many with strollers, ran for cover when the shots rang out. Galloway had just dropped off her uninjured baby from a more recent relationship in her car at the time.

The custody battle began after Galloway split from Leigh’s son. “She always talked about the fact that she had an ex-husband who was harassing her a lot… One night I had ACS at my door asking me if I ever heard of any trouble next door, and I said, ‘No, she’s a lovely mother,'” neighbor Meryl Fiedelman told The Associated Press yesterday. CBS News.

Police sources said Galloway had filed five domestic incident reports and two complaints against the father of her oldest child. A graduate of Fordham University, she had served as a volunteer assistant athletic trainer there for 17 years.

In a statement, the institution said: “The Fordham University community is deeply saddened by the tragic death of Marisa Galloway… We keep Marisa and her loved ones in our thoughts and prayers.”

Domestic violence is a constant in New York City and surrounding areas, between relatives, roommates and partners, even involving minor victims. Every day in NYC, an average of 747 incidents of domestic violence are reported – including assault, abuse, verbal abuse – and about 65 homicides annually.

Last week, four people – including two young children – from an immigrant family were found stabbed to death in a Brooklyn apartment. A relative of the victims was arrested and charged.

Also this month, a man was charged with taking his 3-year-old twin sons from Queens, New York, to a beach in Connecticut with the intention of drowning them, amid a bitter split from his wife.

If you are a victim or suspect that someone is being abused, especially if you are a minor or an elderly person:

I looked for help

• Call 911, 988 or (800)-942-6906.
• Text “WELL” to 65173.
• Check information at https://nycwell.cityofnewyork.us/es/ and www.988lineadevida.org