A grandmother fatally shot her former daughter-in-law in an upscale New York City neighborhood, then killed herself amid a child custody dispute, authorities said.
Marisa Galloway, a 45-year-old mother of two girls, had just put her 1-year-daughter in the back seat of her white Honda Civic and was loading a stroller in the trunk about 9 a.m. Friday when Kathleen Leigh, 65, walked up and shot her in the head, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a New York Police Department news conference Friday.
Leigh, a retired Chicago probation officer who had been living with family in New York City the past three years, shot Galloway again in the back while she was lying on the ground before turning the gun on herself, Kenny said, citing security video of the shootings that police had viewed.
Galloway died after being taken to a hospital, Kenny added.
Marisa Galloway, a 45-year-old mother of two girls, was fatally shot on a street in Manhattan’s Upper East Side by her daughter’s grandmother, who then killed herself, police reported.
Authorities said the 1-year-old in the car was unharmed. Galloway’s 4-year-old daughter, Leigh’s granddaughter, who was at the center of a custody battle between Galloway and Leigh’s son, was not present. Kenny said the girl’s father had custody of her from Friday to Monday.
Police didn’t immediately say whether Leigh’s son had any knowledge of his mother’s violent plan, but the New York Post reported that investigators believe she acted alone.
Kenny said that the NYPD had responded to five “domestic incident reports” and two other complaints concerning the custody dispute, which he said was ongoing. No one was arrested in any of the five incidents.
A neighbor told reporters that a Child Protective Services representative had contacted her about Galloway.
“She always talked about the fact that she had a former husband that was harassing the hell out of her. Because I had Child Services at my door one evening asking if I’ve ever heard any problems next door, and I said, no, no, she’s lovely, lovely mother,” Meryl Fiedelman said.
The shooting took place just before 9 a.m. on a residential street, authorities said. Galloway’s car was parked just 500 feet from Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the New York City mayor, and about two blocks from her home, according to public records.
Investigators said they found two guns at the scene, a loaded 9-millimeter Glock pistol on the ground and another gun in Leigh’s tote bag.
The NYPD did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for additional information.
Galloway, a middle school special education teacher at Ardsley Middle School in Westchester County, had just resigned last month in order to spend more time with her daughters, News 12 Westchester reported .
She was an avid runner and a longtime volunteer track coach and recruiter at Fordham University, her alma mater, according to a profile on the school’s website and a Facebook post announcing her death.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in arts and a master’s in science at Fordham, the school said.
Galloway was a board member of the Central Park Track Club, which said in a Facebook post that she was “ loved by all her athletes” at Fordham.
“She was a wonderful mother, a dedicated runner and a great friend to so many of us. She had the biggest heart and touched everyone she met,” the club wrote.
A man who referred to Galloway as his “forever running partner” also paid tribute to her on Facebook .
“I love how you went ‘all in’ on things. Track, cross country, swimming, lifeguarding, Fordham, New York City!, coaching, Europe, travel, the Olympics, cuisine, your loved ones, catchy pop songs, new experiences in the city, and of course, your beautiful children and the life of parenting,” Sean Duncan wrote.
In a GoFundMe campaign organized to raise money for Galloway’s family, her cousin Marc Bellanger wrote that she “touched everyone she met.”
“Her kindness, generosity, and love were unparalleled. She devoted her whole life to her two beautiful daughters … they were her world,” Bellanger added.
If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com . Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention .
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