Yesterday, a 23-year-old man, Ricky Shelby, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Harlem's "Momma Zee," a 61-year-old grandmother killed in a shootout this April. According to Gothamist, Shelby was ordered held without bail by Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Ann Thompson. Shelby faces charges of murder, attempted murder, and weapons possession.
Excenia Mette, known endearingly as "Mamma Zee" in her community, was reportedly struck by a bullet to her head as she stepped outside to check on her grandson following a commotion on the night of April 22 near Malcolm X Boulevard and West 113th Street. She was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital. Shelby's arraignment comes after Harlem resident Darious Smith also pleaded not guilty last month to charges of attempted murder and weapons possession, related to the same incident.
The fatal shooting incident was captured on video, showing Shelby and other men confronting Smith on a scooter. Assistant District Attorney Alfred Peterson claimed, "Shelby... fired six shots from a .45 caliber handgun," one of which was the shot that killed Mette, as reported by Gothamist. Peterson added that Shelby had then returned to his home in the Bronx and changed clothes.
In a defense that has been called bizarre, Shelby's lawyer, Alberto Ebanks, said that Smith had initially threatened Shelby on 125th Street before following him and, "comes in like Yosemite Sam and opens fire," according to his statement in court, as reported by Gothamist.
The New York Post reported this defense alongside Ebanks stressing the point that Shelby had surrendered to the NYPD six days after the incident.
Both Shelby's family and relatives of Mette were present in the courtroom but declined to comment. Shelby, after the hearing, will remain in jail awaiting the next court date scheduled for August 20. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg honored Mette as a "staple of the Harlem community" and emphasized the need to seriously address gun violence in New York, according to a statement obtained by Gothamist.
