Grandmother Killed by Stray Bullet While Looking for Grandson During Gunfight in the Street

In Manhattan, New York, a beloved community member and civil rights advocate, Excenia Mette, 61, was killed by a stray bullet when she rushed out of her building to check on her grandson during a gunfight in the street. She was shot in the head, and pronounced dead at the hospital. 

An argument among three people had escalated into gunfire; responding police pursued one of two men that were shooting at each other. They caught 23-year-old Darius Smith and took him to the hospital for a gunshot wound to his foot. Police continue to investigate, and said that Mette’s grandson was not involved in the incident.

Mette founded the first Black woman owned bodega in New York City, “Mama Zee’s Food to Plez Deli.” She brought the community together with the traditional soul food dishes she served, and on Sundays, she hosted worship services outside the deli. The mayor called the shooting a “horrific incident that took the life of a grandmother.” A woman who knew Mette said, “[t]hey took a soul who was very loving. Who supported the community. Who was there, who loved everyone. Who was a matriarch. They’re destroying a community like this.” 

Sources:

Shayla Colon, Chelsia Rose Marcius, “Stray Bullet Kills Harlem Woman Who Stepped Outside to Check on Grandson,”nytimes.com (April 23, 2025).

Marc Santia, “Grandma Killed by Stray Bullet as She Rushed to Check on Grandson in Harlem Shooting,”nbcnewyork.com (April 23, 2025).