2 women shot to death on Upper East Side near Mayor Adams' residence, NYPD says

Two women were fatally shot on the Upper East Side near Mayor Eric Adams’ official residence Friday morning, in what police said was a possible murder-suicide.

NYPD officials said the women were shot on East 88th Street between York and East End avenues in Yorkville, about half a block from the mayoral Gracie Mansion. Both died from their injuries, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a press conference after the incident. The investigation is still in its preliminary stages.

Kenny said police received several 911 calls shortly before 9 a.m. about gunfire and two people shot. Officers who responded to the scene saw two women with gunshot wounds to their heads, lying by a white Honda Civic — one by the back of the car, the other on the sidewalk — according to the chief.

A 1-year-old in a car seat in the back of the Honda was unharmed, Kenny said.

Police identified the women as Marisa Galloway, 45, and as Kathleen Leigh, 65. Kenny said video footage from the scene shows Leigh shooting Galloway in the head moments after Galloway had put the toddler in the car, and then shooting her in the back while she was on the ground. Leigh then shot herself, according to Kenny.

Leigh was pronounced dead at the scene, Kenny said. Galloway was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died, the chief said.

Police said they found one gun on the sidewalk near Leigh and another in a tote bag she was carrying. The guns had not been reported as stolen and the NYPD is looking into how Leigh obtained them, Kenny said.

The shooting followed a prolonged dispute between the women that had resulted in five domestic incident and two complaint reports to police but no arrests, according to Kenny.

He said Leigh, a retired probation officer from Chicago who had been staying with family in New York City, was the grandmother of another child of Galloway’s, a 4-year-old. Police said they are investigating whether a custody fight over that child might have played a role in the women's deaths.

Shootings are rare in the area, according to a Gothamist analysis of shooting data from 2020 to June 2024. The analysis shows there were no other reported shootings in the immediate vicinity in recent years.

This story has been updated with additional information.