A New York City woman was shot and killed by her estranged husband last month while attempting to shield her adult daughter from bullets, authorities said Friday, as they announced charges against him.
In a news release issued Friday, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that Audwin Caines had been arrested and charged with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, and two counts of illegal weapon possession.
He was also charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office.
The charges stem from a midafternoon shooting on June 23, when Caines, 62, allegedly approached his estranged wife Chaneil Ramsay and her 21-year-old daughter as they walked down the street.
Earlier in the afternoon, investigators allege Caines texted Ramsay a photo of her car’s passenger side window shattered with a brick.
Caines allegedly approached Ramsay, 45, and her adult daughter while they were walking down the street, prompting the mother and daughter to flee as Caines began to fire his weapon at them, according to officials.
The two took cover behind a parked car, but as Caines approached, Ramsay stood up and rushed at him, “in an effort to shield her daughter,” the DA’s office claimed in the release. Caines then opened fire from point blank range, hitting Ramsay in the head and body.
Officials also claimed that a year ago, on July 1, 2024, Caines struck Ramsay in the head with a bottle, then broke the bottle and stabbed her in the chest with it after she asked him to leave their home after an argument.
Caines faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted of his estranged wife’s murder.
