A 61-year-old grandmother was shot and killed by a stray bullet after rushing out to check on her loved one as gunfire rang out on a Harlem street late Tuesday night, according to police.
Surveillance video obtained by NBC New York showed the chaos break out on the corner of West 113th Street and Lenox Avenue around 10 p.m. People at a nearby restaurant scrambled as bullets flew, with some taking cover in a nearby SUV.
The video shows a man on a scooter racing away as a bullet just misses him, whizzing past and hitting the road.
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WATCH HEREAmid the hail of gunfire, Excenia Mette rushed from a beauty salon to make sure her grandson was safe, but she was struck in the head by a stray bullet, police said. Mette, who was affectionately known as Auntie in the neighborhood, was pronounced dead at a hospital.
"That’s the person that she is. When you’re a protector, when you’re loving like that. When you’re an empath, that’s how you move," said Makeba Reece. "She died doing what she does: loving and protecting."
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SIGN UP Mette was a local business owner and a beloved fixture in the neighborhood who was known for feeding the hungry and helping anyone in need.
"They 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," Reece said.
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Mayor Eric Adams went to the scene on Wednesday, calling the shooting a "horrific incident that took the life of a grandmother."
Police said Mette's grandson, who she rushed to check on, was not believed to have been involved in the shooting.
One person who had been shot in the shoot was taken into custody, according to police. A scooter and a handgun were found a block away, and police said they were still looking for at least one other gunman.
An investigation is ongoing.
