Heroic sacrifice: NYC mom gunned down in street by estranged husband was trying to shield daughter
Audwin Caines, 62, allegedly approached 45-year-old Chaneil Ramsay as she walked with her 21-year-old daughter in South Jamaica around 2:30 p.m. June 23 and started opening fire, according to the Queens DA's Office.
The targeted mother and daughter ducked behind a car parked in the driveway of a home on 127th Avenue near 176th Street, court documents reveal.
5 Audwin Caines, 62, is allegedly shot and killed his estranged wife as she tried to shield her daughter, prosecutors said.
NYPD 113 Precinct
But as Caines got closer to the pair, Ramsay stood up, stepped away from the car and ran toward the pursuing gunman to keep her daughter out of harm's way, according to prosecutors.
That's when Caines allegedly shot her at point-blank range, killing her, the DA's office charged.
Ramsay collapsed onto the pavement, where police found her face down, unconscious and unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head, cops said.
5 Ramsay, who was shot in the head, was found face-down on the ground unconscious and unresponsive.
Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Meanwhile, Caines took off, and the victim's daughter called the cops, police said.
Ramsay was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
About two hours before the murder, the victim found the front passenger window of her Jeep Grand Cherokee shattered, with a brick inside the car, the complaint said.
5 Before the murder, Caines allegedly smashed the window of Ramsay's car with a brick and sent her threatening messages on Whatsapp, prosecutors said.
Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
A few minutes before that, Ramsay allegedly received a slew of messages from Caines on Whatsapp, including a photo of the broken window and threats to harm her, according to the court filing.
The intimidating texts included, 'I'm going to keep f–king up your s–t,' and 'You want to f–k me over now, I'm doing it to you,' prosecutors said.
Caines is also accused of bashing Ramsay in the head with a full bottle of alcohol – and then stabbing her in the chest and elbow with the broken fragments – in a separate attack back on July 1, 2024, the court docs reveal.
5 Caines is also accused of stabbing his estranged wife with a broken bottle of alcohol in another attack last year, the DA's office said.
Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
The couple was arguing inside their Irwin Place home when Ramsay asked Caines to leave, sparking his violent outburst, according to prosecutors.
Caines was arraigned Wednesday night on charges of murder, attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal mischief in connection to the cold-blooded slaying.
He was also arraigned on charges of felony assault and criminal possession of a weapon, related to the broken bottle assault, prosecutors said.
5 If convicted, Caines could spend 25 years to life behind bars.
Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Caines was ordered held without bail by Queens Criminal Court Judge Sharifa Nasser-Cuellar, with his next appearance set for Friday.
If convicted, Caines could face 25 years to life behind bars.
'As alleged, a 45-year-old woman was senselessly gunned down on the streets of St. Albans by her estranged husband, as part of an escalating series of violent incidents,' Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. 'This murder shocked the community, and my office will seek justice for the family of Chaneil Ramsay.'
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