Child Custody Battle Turns Ugly as New York Grandmother Shoots Son's Ex-partner and Then Kills Herself: Police

A grandmother allegedly shot her son's partner and then turned the gun on herself in New York City, police shared. Marisa Galloway, 45, died due to gunshot wounds on her head and back just half a block from Gracie Mansion, People reported. 

Chief of Detectives, Joseph Kenny, shared that another dead body was found on the scene, People reported. The dead body was identified to be of Kathleen Leigh. She was pronounced dead on the scene by authorities. According to preliminary investigations, Leigh died due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police arrived on the scene after multiple 911 calls were made regarding the incident, People reported. The callers informed the authorities that three shots were fired. Officials also found a 1-year-old kid inside Galloway's white Honda Civic.

The kid was later identified to be Galloway's child. Galloway was taken to the nearby hospital for treatment but succumbed to her injuries after some time.

Leigh was also the paternal grandmother of Galloway's other 4-year-old child, People reported. Leigh worked as a probation officer in Cook County and authorities are in the process of knowing whether she purchased her firearms when she was hired in that position.

The shooting has been allegedly captured in surveillance footage, People reported. The footage apparently shows Leigh firing at Galloway, striking her in the head, and when she falls to her back.

Galloway and Leigh's son were involved in a multi-year custody battle regarding their child, the Independent reported. During the custody battle, Leigh was living with her son while receiving her treatment for terminal cancer. In July 2021, two domestic incident reports were filed involving Galloway and Leigh's son. 

Leigh's son had once alleged in one of his domestic complaints that his child had come to him with bruises, the Independent reported. An investigation later ruled the accusations as unfounded.

Kenny has informed the public that the murder-suicide investigation is still in its early stages and the 'custody battle' as of now is being considered the "preliminary motive," People reported.