Upper East Side Murder-Suicide Shocks Gracie Mansion Nabe
A long-running domestic dispute was likely behind a July 26 murder-suicide incident that on E. 88th St. not far from Gracie Mansion, said NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. He noted that the shooter was the grandmother of the victim’s son.
Two women are dead after a murder-suicide in broad daylight on the Upper East Side, on the morning of Friday, July 26. The bloody shooting took place half-a-block from Gracie Mansion at around 8:54 a.m., shocking neighborhood residents.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said that three shots were fired in front of 519 E. 88th St. Upon arriving, they noticed a white Honda Civic parked in the middle of the road, with two women’s bodies nearby–one next to the car, and one on the sidewalk. Both had gunshot wounds to the head, and one of the women–identified as 45 year-old Marisa Galloway – had an additional gunshot wound to the back.
The shooter was identified as 65 year-old Kathleen Leigh, who had apparently used a Glock 9mm handgun that was found on the sidewalk between the two women, next to her body. She had turned the gun on herself after shooting Galloway twice, police said. In addition to the Glock found near her body, she also reportedly had a firearm in her tote bag.
A one-year-old girl, found in the backseat of the Honda Civic, was unharmed. Galloway was pronounced dead after being rushed to New York Presbyterian/Weill-Cornell Hospital. Galloway lived at 445 E. 86th St., near the site of her death.
Galloway was divorced and in a bitter dispute with her ex-husband over custody of their four-year-old daughter, according to the New York Post, which wrote that it appeared that she killed her ex-daughter-in-law in a bid to give her son sole custody. Police noted that at least five domestic violence disputes had warranted police attention over the past two years. Leigh was reportedly suffering from terminal cancer and was living with her son, Galloway’s ex, while she was undergoing treatment for terminal cancer at Mount Sinai West.
Galloway was a volunteer assistant coach for the Fordham University Rams’ track and field program for seventeen years, where she was had been a former high jumper, sprinter and relay team member. According to a statement by the university, Galloway earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fordham at Rose Hill in 2001, and a master’s degree in science from the Fordham Graduate School of Education four years later. “The Fordham University community is deeply saddened by the tragic death of Marisa Galloway,” a spokesperson said.
Galloway was also a board member of the Central Park Track Club.
Although her latest address was listed in Chicago, Illinois, police said that she had lived with family members in NYC for three years. Leigh was a retired probation officer for Cook County, which encompasses Chicago.
“What we have on video, Ms. Galloway puts the child in the backseat of the car. She is then in the process of putting the stroller in the trunk, when she is approached by Ms. Leigh, who shoots her in the head, and when she’s on the ground, shoots her in the back,” Chief Kenny said.
At the police tape near York Ave., some concerned locals were lingering around and trying to gather intel about the crime. A gaggle of press members were trying to snap photos from a considerable distance, as much of E. 88th between York and East End Ave. had been blocked off.
A third woman was going around and telling bystanders to “stay safe.” She shuddered as she proclaimed that “I’ve never seen so much domestic violence around here,” before walking off.
A GoFundMe for Galloway’s two now motherless daughters has been set up titled Honor Marissa Galloway: Honor Her Legacy