A grandmother has fatally shot her son’s ex-girlfriend in a gruesome ambush before turning the gun on herself in broad daylight on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Kathleen Leigh, 65, a retired probation officer from Chicago, shot 45-year-old Marisa Galloway as she was loading her child into a car on Friday morning.
Police responded to a 911 call from someone who heard three gunshots and reported seeing two women lying on the ground in a pile of blood.
The shooting occurred outside on apartment building on 88th Street, just a half block from Gracie Mansion, the home of the New York City mayor.
Surveillance footage shows Galloway bending over to put her 1-year-old daughter’s car seat in the back of the Honda moments before the shooting took place.
Kathleen Leigh, 65, a retired probation officer from Chicago, shot 45-year-old Marisa Galloway, 45, as she was loading her child into a car on Friday morning
Leigh approached and shot two bullets into Galloway – one in the head and another in the back – before ending her own life with a shot to the head
She then placed the stroller in the trunk and Leigh approached firing two bullets into Galloway – one in the head and another in the back – before ending her own life with a gunshot to the head.
Leigh died at the scene while Galloway was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
NYPD’s Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny revealed that a custody battle was the cause behind the brutal murder-suicide.
The 1-year-old child present during the incident was unharmed, police said.
Earlier reports incorrectly stated the child was 4 years old.
Officers recovered two firearms – a loaded 9mm gun on the sidewalk near the car and a second gun in Leigh’s tote bag.
Leigh died at the scene while Galloway was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital
The shooting occurred outside on apartment building on 88th Street, just a half block from Gracie Mansion, the home of the New York City mayor
Police tape outside the deadly shooting over a custody dispute
There have been at least five recorded NYPD reports of domestic disputes within the family, as well as two other complaint reports, according to police.
‘She is a retired Cook County probation officer living in New York City with family members for the past three years,’ Kenny said.
Galloway was a teacher and track coach at Fordham University.
The university, commenting on the tragic incident, wrote they are ‘deeply saddened by the tragic death…. We keep Marissa and her loved ones in our thoughts and prayers.
No arrests have been made as of Friday afternoon. The NYPD is still investigating the incident.
