A woman fatally shot in the head in Harlem on Tuesday night appears to have been an innocent target of gunfire.
The shooting occurred at 113th Street and Lenox Avenue around 10:20 p.m. on Tuesday.
According to family members, Excenia Mette, 61, was cleaning up at the deli where she worked.
Police say her caring nature drew her outside that night.
They claim she heard three people arguing outside. Worried that her grandson was involved, she went outside to ensure his safety.
According to police, bullets began flying, and the 61-year-old was caught in the crossfire and killed.
“The grandson was not involved, but she was, as a concerned grandmother would do, to come check on her family members,” said Capt. James M. Whitlock, III.
Instead, the grandson was safely inside his grandmother’s apartment upstairs. He claims she would have gone outside to help anyone.
“She treated everyone on this corner like they were her grandson,” said the politician.
Officials say a 23-year-old man was also shot in the foot but is expected to recover.
They say he first opened fire on a rival, who is still on the run. The rival returned fire, killing the grandmother.
The police believe three people were involved in the dispute.
Darious Smith, 23, is charged with attempted murder and two counts of criminal possession of a firearm, and this isn’t his first encounter with law enforcement.
In June of 2024, the suspect stole e-bike batteries and slashed a good Samaritan who attempted to stop him.
“The case in itself just personifies of what we have been talking about over and over again, number one, repeated offenders, the person who was apprehended and involved in the shootout sustained an injury to his foot, but also last year was arrested for stabbing two people doing what appeared to have been a robbery just last year,” the mayor, Eric Adams, said.
Investigators discovered eight casings and a gun near St. Nicholas Avenue and 112th Street.
Community members say they are shocked by Mette’s death.
“She was not afraid, she wanted to see change, and she knew in order to see change she had to be a part of that change, and her life was taken because she wanted to see change,” a woman told me.”
Those who knew Mette said she was always full of energy.
“She liked to have fun with people her age, younger kids, making sure everybody is safe, she’s like a warming person, like a warmer person,” someone close to her told me.
Neighbors and activists say they are tired of seeing crime tape up in their neighborhood and want the violence to stop.
“If one person is shot, we’re all shot because this is our community and these are our people, and we’re saying enough is enough,” WARM founder Stephanie McGraw stated.
Police are searching for additional suspects.
