Second suspect in custody in killing of beloved Harlem grandmother: sources

Editor's note: The above video aired on April 22, 2025.

HARLEM, Manhattan (PIX11) --- A second shooter is in police custody after a beloved Harlem grandmother was shot and killed by a stray bullet last week, according to police sources.

Ricky Shelby, 23, turned himself into the 28th Precinct in Manhattan Monday with his attorney, police and sources said. Shelby, a Bronx resident, was charged with attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon, police said.

Sixty-one-year-old Excenia Mette  — known in her community as “Mama Zee” — was fatally shot in the head when she went to check on her grandson during a shootout near 113th Street and Lenox Avenue on April 22, authorities said.

Shelby and Darius Smith, 23, opened fire at around 10:30 p.m. before one of the suspects took off on a scooter. Smith, who was shot in the foot, was apprehended at the scene. The gun was recovered nearby.

Smith was charged with attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon, police said.

Authorities said Mette ran out of a beauty salon after hearing gunshots because she was worried about her grandson, Jarian Jordan, 24, who was not near the shootout. He was not injured in the incident.

The family said they tried to stop Mette from intervening when it meant putting herself in harm’s way.

The grandmother was a member of the National Action Network and a hardworking bodega owner who cooked meals for her neighbors.

"She loved this community with her everything, with her everything,” Jordan said. “She put smiles on faces. She helped kids. She helped adults."

Officials said the area has been plagued by gang violence within the city housing complexes. Smith has 18 prior arrests, according to sources.

“Last year he was arrested for robbery, stabbing two people, and now back on the street involved in a shooting,” Mayor Eric Adams said last week.