Excenia Mette, former Harlem bodega owner, ‘Zeenie’ killed by stray bullet trying to protect her grandson as local matriarch and community leader is remembered. Darious Smith to face gun charges while another man remains at large.
A beloved NYC bodega owner was killed by a stray bullet as she desperately sought to protect her grandson from local mayhem.
Excenia Mette, 61, ran outside after hearing a loud argument near her apartment on Lenox Ave and 113th st in Harlem on Tuesday around 10.20pm, according to police.
As the commotion grew, Mette tried to locate her grandson so she could bring the boy back home and avoid escalating rivalry outside.
Harlem community leader killed by stray bullet
Having made cover, Mette despite the boy’s protestations, ran back outside in a bid to quell a scuffle which had suddenly turned physical, including one of the men pulling out a gun.
As the men began to jostle for the weapon, another pulled out a gun, leading to two men shooting at each other. Mette got caught in the crossfire and was shot in the head.
Mette who ran the first black female-owned bodega in NYC was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside hospital, where she was pronounced dead, the NY Daily News reported.
Mette, regarded as the local matriarch and a community leader had sought to diffuse tensions when she was struck and killed in front of her very own building.
‘Her grandson was screaming, ‘Grandma! Grandma!’ a local neighbor told the New York Post.
‘The bullets weren’t supposed to be for her. Her instincts kicked in – you know your grandson’s out there, your niece is out there, adrenaline kicked in. She had to make sure they were OK,’ the neighbor added.
Authorities located one of the gunmen, 23-year-old Darious Smith, running away from the scene after he was shot in the foot. The other shooter ran off and has not yet been caught or identified.
Police found eight shell casings and a gun at the scene.
Authorities had yet to say if the gun violence was gang related, only confirming that the individuals involved in outdoor rivalries were armed with guns, CBS NY reported.
Excenia Mette, Harlem trailblazer remembered
Mette has been remembered as a trailblazer in the neighborhood who worked as a cook at 67 Deli Corp on the same block she lived.
She opened her very own bodega, ‘Momma Zee’s Food to Plez Deli’, in 1987.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, her deli, like many businesses, struggled to make ends meet.
A GoFundMe fundraiser was launched to help raise money for her to keep the doors open.
AriZona Ice Tea also agreed to match up to $25,000 of the donations, nevertheless Mette was still forced to close down the business.
The first black deli owner, who opened up shop in 2018, specialized in soul food, she previously told CBS News.
A GoFundMe fundraiser was launched to help raise money for her to keep the doors open.
AriZona Ice Tea also agreed to match up to $25,000 of the donations, but unfortunately, she had to close down the business.
Mette, who opened up shop in 2018, specialized in soul food, she previously told CBS News.
Posted Ashley Sharpton, Wednesday night: ‘This is still hard to believe, totally surreal.
‘I’ve known Excenia since I was a child growing up in Harlem. The last time I saw her, she was trying to get me on her live at the Keepers of the Dream Awards. I hugged her real quick and rushed away, thinking I’d see her again. I didn’t.
‘Excenia Mette was a mother, a grandmother, a business owner, a creative, a woman of faith, and a force. She gave her life to service, uplifting Black artists, feeding the community through Momma Zee’s, and showing up for others every chance she got.
‘She was killed outside her home trying to stop violence. That’s who she was, a protector.
‘We cannot normalize this. We need real reform. We need these illegal guns off our streets. We need to make our communities safe, for real.
‘My love and prayers are with her family, her friends, our Her Game 2 family, her Harlem community, and everyone who loved her. We are grieving together. And we will honor her together.’
