A grandmother fatally shot her son’s ex-girlfriend before killing herself amid an ugly custody battle between the couple.
Marisa Galloway, 45, was placing her one-year-old son in a child seat in the back of a parked car when her ex-mother-in-law, Kathleen Leigh, 65, shot her in the head and back. She then took her own life by shooting herself in the head.
Galloway has been fighting for custody of her four-year-old son with Leigh’s son, the boy’s father, since 2021. The one-year-old has a different father.
The deceased mother had a history of domestic violence disputes with her partner related to the custody battle, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said. Five reports and two complaints had been filed with the NYPD between July 2021 and November, but no arrests were made.
Leigh was pronounced dead at the scene. Galloway was rushed to hospital where life-saving efforts were made, but she eventually succumbed to her life-threatening injuries.
Marisa Galloway, 45 (pictured), was carrying her one-year-old son in a car seat in the back of a parked car when she was shot in the head by her ex-mother-in-law, Kathleen Leigh, 65. She then shot herself in the head.
Galloway has been fighting for custody of her four-year-old son with Kathleen’s son, the child’s father, since 2021. The one-year-old does not belong to Leigh’s son.
Two guns were recovered from the crime scene: a 9mm handgun found on the sidewalk and another handgun found in the purse Leigh was carrying. Police are trying to confirm whether or not Leigh had possessed the firearms during her time as a probation officer.
Police were called to the apartment, located steps from Mayor Adams’ residence, Gracie Mansion, in Yorkville, a neighborhood that has a reputation for being generally safe and quiet, shortly before 9 a.m.
The 911 caller reported hearing three gunshots and then looking out the window to see two women lying on the floor in a pool of their own blood.
First responders said Galloway was still breathing when they arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Leigh was a retired parole officer from Chicago, and had moved with her son into her Upper East Side apartment three years ago.
Sources told the The New York Post that Leigh had terminal cancer and had been receiving treatment while living with her son in the doorman building.
Residents are aware of the ongoing dispute between Galloway and Leigh.
“She always talked about the fact that she had an ex who was really harassing her because one night child services knocked on my door asking if I ever heard any trouble next door,” said Meryl Feidelman, Galloway’s neighbor.
“I said, ‘No, no, she’s a lovely mother, a lovely woman.’
The late mother had a history of domestic violence disputes with her ex-partner related to the custody battle, New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
Between July 2021 and November, five reports and two complaints had been filed with the NYPD, but no arrests were made. Leigh was pronounced dead at the scene.
Leigh allegedly believed Galloway was abusive, as several of the reports included complaints from the four-year-old’s father that his daughter would come home with bruises on her arm, but investigators found the allegations to be unfounded.
But residents of the building suggest otherwise, as one neighbor told the New York Post that the mother showed no signs of a cancer diagnosis and often told others in the building that she thought Galloway was an abuser.
“She used to tell me things like the mother was abusing the child,” the neighbor said, “but I don’t think there was any evidence of that.”
-But I know that he didn’t like his ex-daughter-in-law.
Sources told the New York Post that the father had custody from Friday to Monday, while Galloway had her daughter from Tuesday to Thursday.
NYPD investigators reportedly entered the apartment and emerged with a cardboard box containing items.
The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made.
Galloway, a volunteer track coach at her alma mater, Fordham University, was rushed to the hospital where life-saving efforts were made, but she ultimately succumbed to her life-ending injuries.
The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made.
Galloway, a former D1 track runner at Fordham University, was a volunteer track coach at her alma mater.
“The Fordham University community is deeply saddened by the tragic death of Marisa Galloway, a Fordham alumna who served as a volunteer assistant athletic trainer at Fordham for 17 years until 2019,” a school spokesperson said. Fox Digital News.
“While at Fordham, she high jumped for the Rams and also participated in sprint and relay teams throughout her career. She capped her senior season in 2001 with a third-place finish in the high jump at the Metropolitan Championships,” the statement continued. “We are keeping Marissa and her loved ones in our thoughts and prayers.”
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