On the morning of Saturday, Apr. 20, two young children were left traumatized with the agonizing memory of seeing their mother fatally shot by their own father.
According to New York Daily News , Kevin Canty fatally shot his wife while their two children – a 4-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy – witnessed the entire act. Canty, a retired policeman for the New York Police Department, reportedly shot his wife Jessica Canty 10 times with a 9-mm pistol. She suffered gunshot wounds to her neck, arm, armpit, upper chest, and stomach. The shooting took place at their home in the Ozone Park area of Queens, NY.
After witnessing the shooting, the two frantic children reportedly ran to a nearby deli for help, screaming “Mommy shot daddy!,” the publication reported. According to the police report, prosecutors stated that Canty, who was allegedly drunk at the time of his arrest, openly admitted to shooting and killing his wife. He expressed that his rage was fueled by her alleged infidelity. One officer reported that a delirious Canty made the confession on the way to the police station.
“I’m sorry,” Canty said to an officer while in the car on the way to the police station. “I love my wife. She was cheating on me.” However, his guilt quickly returned to rage. Prosecutors also purported that he went on to refer to his wife as a whore.
While he claims his actions were based solely on her infidelity, their neighbors say otherwise. One neighbor explained that Canty retired from the police department back in November 2013 after suffering an injury while conducting a self-defense training session for a Police Academy. Several stated that the couple had a tumultuous relationship and fought often.
Canty also reportedly had a drinking problem, which also caused a quite a strain in his marriage. A close friend of Canty’s wife even referred to him as a “drunken terror.” One neighbor actually recounted one late-night incident in particular just a few weeks prior to her untimely death. Canty’s wife knocked on the neighbor’s door after her husband been drinking. She expressed that he’d threatened to kill her. Some of their neighbors even expressed that her death seemed almost inevitable due to the extent of their strained relationship.
Canty faces 25 years in prison if found guilty.
Image(s) via Bing