By TopTrendReportTv
July 26, 2024
Two women were killed in a murder-suicide on the Upper East Side of Manhattan on Friday morning, according to police reports. Officers responded to a 911 call around 8:55 a.m. about two women shot near a white Honda Civic outside an apartment building at 519 East 88th Street, close to Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the New York City mayor.
The police identified one of the women as 65-year-old Kathleen Leigh, who approached 45-year-old Marisa Galloway, shooting her in the head and lower back before turning the gun on herself. Ms. Leigh died at the scene, while Ms. Galloway was taken to Weill Cornell Medical Center, where she later succumbed to her injuries.
Joseph Kenny, the chief of detectives, stated that the incident stemmed from a child-custody dispute. At a Friday news conference, police revealed video footage showing Ms. Galloway placing her 1-year-old daughter into the car seat of the Honda just before being shot. As Ms. Galloway moved to the back of the car to put a stroller in the trunk, Ms. Leigh approached and shot her, first in the head and then in the lower back. The 1-year-old was unharmed.
Authorities revealed that Ms. Leigh was the grandmother of Ms. Galloway’s other child, a 4-year-old girl. A retired probation officer from Cook County, Chicago, Ms. Leigh had been living with relatives in New York City for the past three years. Police recovered a loaded 9-millimeter gun from the scene and another firearm from a tote bag carried by Ms. Leigh, neither of which were reported stolen. Officials are investigating whether Ms. Leigh owned the weapons during her time as a probation officer.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing. The 911 caller reported hearing three gunshots and seeing two women lying on the ground surrounded by blood.
Jaime Peralta, a 60-year-old superintendent of a nearby building, said he heard the shots while on the sidewalk a block away. "It sounded like: bam! bam! bam!" he said, adding that he initially thought the sounds might have been from balloons popping. He did not hear any screams or signs of a dispute.
The shooting took place in a particularly quiet part of the Upper East Side, known for low foot traffic and safety even at night. According to data from the 19th Precinct, the area had not reported any murders through July 21 of this year, although there had been two shootings. In the same period in 2023, there were three murders and one shooting.
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