In a tragic incident in New York City, a terminally ill woman allegedly killed her former daughter-in-law before turning the gun on herself. The dispute was reportedly over the custody of a 4-year-old child. The victim, Marisa Galloway, 45, was a special education teacher, an avid runner, and a longtime track coach for Fordham University. She shared the child with the son of the suspect, Kathleen Leigh, 65.
On the morning of the incident, surveillance footage captured Galloway placing her 1-year-old daughter in the backseat of a white Honda Civic on East 88th Street in the Upper East Side neighborhood. As she was loading a stroller into the car, Leigh, a retired probation officer battling terminal cancer, allegedly approached her and shot her in the head. According to police, Leigh then shot Galloway in the lower back before shooting herself.
The incident occurred just half a block away from the mayor’s Gracie Mansion. The 1-year-old child was physically unharmed in the incident. Leigh reportedly had a note labeled “For Police” in her possession, but the contents of the letter remain undisclosed, as per The New York Post.
During a press conference, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny revealed that the police had previously recorded five domestic incident reports and two complaint reports involving Galloway. However, none of these reports resulted in an arrest. The allegations were reportedly against Galloway, but the two complaint reports were determined to be unfounded.
Neighbors and law enforcement sources expressed shock at the incident. One neighbor, Meryl Feidelman, recalled Galloway mentioning a former husband who was causing her distress. A law enforcement source described the incident as “shocking” and “biblical.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up in Galloway’s memory, describing her as a devoted mother whose “kindness, generosity, and love were unparalleled.” The campaign stated that Galloway’s untimely passing will leave a void in the lives of those who knew her, but her memory will live on in her daughters and in the hearts of all who knew her.