In a shocking family dispute over child custody, a woman fatally shot her former daughter-in-law before killing herself on the Upper East Side Friday, police said.
The shooting took place around 9 a.m. on Friday on East 88th Street – just half a block away from the mayor’s residence, Gracie Mansion; a neighborhood where crime is unexpected and the residents enjoy a safe environment. The violence left them stunned.
The victim, identified as 45-year-old Marisa Galloway, a single mother of two girls, ages 1 and 4, was described as a “wonderful mother,” and as one who loved to run, by a friendly neighbor.
The former mother-in-law, Kathleen Leigh, 65, approached Marisa Galloway and shot her in the head and lower back. Leigh then shot herself in the head, the police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Ms. Galloway was taken to Weill Cornell Medical Center, where she later died.
The shooting happened outside a white Honda Civic while Galloway’s 1-year-old daughter was in a car seat in the vehicle. The child was unharmed. The police recovered a loaded, 9-millimeter gun from the sidewalk and another firearm from a tote bag that Leigh was carrying.
According to police sources, there had been a bitter custody battle between Galloway and Leigh’s son, who is the father of Galloway’s 4-year-old daughter.
A neighbor, Meryl Fiedelman, describes some of the background to this tragedy. “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,”
Police sources said Galloway had made five domestic incident reports and filed two complaint reports against him.
According to police, Leigh was a retired Cook County, Illinois probation officer who is believed to have been living in New York City with family members for the past three years.
Marisa Galloway had served as a volunteer assistant track and field coach at Fordham University for 17 years. She graduated from the university herself in 2001 and earned her master’s in education in 2005. In a statement, the university said, “The Fordham University community is deeply saddened by the tragic death of Marisa Galloway… We keep Marisa and her loved ones in our thoughts and prayers.”
Her death has left the neighbors grieving. “She was – I don’t want to use the past tense – she was a lovely, lovely girl with two lovely little kids,” “Wonderful, wonderful mother. Wonderful.”
