A tragic turn of events unfolded last Tuesday night in Harlem when Excencia Mette, a 61-year-old grandmother widely revered in her community, was struck and killed by a stray bullet. According to ABC7 New York, Mette had been helping out at a local deli she was associated with when she stepped outside, worried about her grandson's safety amidst a shootout, and was fatally shot in the head.
Her death has led to the arrest of 23-year-old Ricky Shelby, who turned himself in on April 28, accompanied by an attorney, and is now facing charges for her murder. AMNY reported that Shelby, a Story Avenue resident from the Bronx, engaged in a gunfight with another man, Darious Smith, also 23. Amidst the firing, it's alleged that it was Shelby’s bullet that ultimately ended Mette's life. Following his surrender at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, he was transported to the 28th Precinct to undergo processing, with his arrest drawing mixed reactions from the public, some offering support and others condemning his alleged actions.
At the scene of the incident, police found numerous shell casings scattered across Lenox Avenue and West 113th Street. Mette, affectionately known as Momma Zee and the owner of Momma Zee’s Food to Plez Deli, was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries. Mayor Eric Adams labeled the event “a horrific, horrific incident” in a statement to AMNY.
Mette's sister, Pastor Diane London, reflected on the community's loss and called for an end to the cycle of violence that claimed her sister's life. "She just broke up a big dispute that they had before this shooting earlier that day. And I just kept begging her stay out of the middle of that because I felt something, I did not know it was going to be this tragic," London told ABC7 New York.
Further complicating an already tense situation, the other participant in the shootout, Darious Smith, has been charged as well. Having suffered a gunshot wound to his foot during the incident, Smith received treatment at a hospital and was arraigned on Thursday, facing counts of attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
