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Kevin Canty, Former NYPD Cop, Charged With Murdering Wife

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A former NYPD cop has been charged with fatally shooting his wife while the couple's kids were inside their home.

Kevin Canty, 43, was charged Sunday with second-degree murder and criminal use of a firearm, police said.

Around 11 a.m. Saturday, Canty allegedly shot his wife, Jessica Canty, 40, during a domestic dispute at their home on 104th Street in Ozone Park, Queens.

First responders discovered Jessica Canty with gunshot wounds to her torso. She was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in cardiac arrest and pronounced dead a short time later.

Police said two children were in the home at the time of the shooting. It's clear whether the children witnessed the shooting.

Heidi Gamble was nearby when the shots rang out. She told 1010 WINS' Gary Baumgarten that the children ran out of the house and into a nearby bodega.

"They came in screaming, crying, saying their dad just shot their mom and there's blood all over, please help," she said.

Witnesses said the husband ran several blocks away to Pitkin Avenue, where they said he tried to steal a car. They said that's where police caught up to Kevin Canty and took him into custody.

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