NEW YORK, NY – In a tragic incident that unfolded near Gracie Mansion early this morning, two women were found dead in what authorities believe to be a murder-suicide. The New York Police Department received multiple 911 calls at 8:54 a.m. reporting gunshots and two individuals shot in front of 519 East 88th Street.
Upon arrival, officers discovered a white Honda Civic parked on the north side of the street. Near the rear of the vehicle, they found a woman lying in the street, while another woman was found on the sidewalk. Both had sustained gunshot wounds to the head. A loaded Glock 9mm firearm was recovered on the sidewalk between the two women. A one-year-old child, unharmed, was found in a car seat in the back of the Honda.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the incident was a murder-suicide. The victim has been identified as Marissa Galloway, 45, who lived on East 86th Street. She suffered gunshot wounds to the head and lower back and was transported to Cornell Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The shooter has been identified as Kathleen Lee, 65, a retired Cook County probation officer from Chicago. Lee had been living in New York City with family members for the past three years. She was the grandmother of Galloway’s four-year-old child. Lee died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Two firearms were recovered at the scene, one from the sidewalk and another from a tote bag Lee was carrying.
The motive appears to be an ongoing domestic dispute involving custody of Galloway’s child. The NYPD has documented five domestic incident reports and two complaint reports related to this dispute, although none resulted in arrests. Surveillance footage shows Galloway placing the child in the car before being approached and shot by Lee.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are looking into the history of the firearms used in the incident. No further information has been released at this time.