A woman in Harlem was stepping outside her building to check on her grandson just before 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday when she was shot by a stray bullet, the police said.
Police officers who were on patrol nearby heard shots and rushed to the intersection of West 113th Street and Lenox Avenue. The police said they found the woman, Excenia Mette, 61, in front of 65 Lenox Avenue with a gunshot wound to the head.
Medics transported her to Mount Sinai Morningside hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Ms. Mette, known as Ms. Zee in the community, had previously owned a local deli and was an active member of the Harlem chapter of the National Action Network, a civil rights organization founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton. A spokesman for the network condemned gun violence on Wednesday and expressed outrage over Ms. Mette’s “senseless” death.
The police said the shooting began with a verbal dispute among three people. When officers arrived at the scene, they found two men shooting at each other and ran after one of them, an internal police report said. The gunman they pursued had a gunshot wound to his left foot but continued to flee and threw away a gun as he ran, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said.
The officers eventually caught up with the man, whom the report identified as Darius Smith, and took him into custody. Mr. Smith, 23, was taken to a nearby hospital and was in stable condition.
The police investigation continues. The police said Ms. Mette’s grandson was not involved in the dispute. Part of Lenox Avenue was still blocked off on Wednesday afternoon as the police collected evidence. Eight shell casings were recovered from the scene, according to the report, and a gun was found on the ground on St. Nicholas Avenue.
People walking by on Malcolm X Boulevard stopped and talked quietly about what happened, many expressing disbelief and sadness.
Gaspar Epstein, a neighbor of Ms. Mette’s, said the shooting was disturbing, especially because of the risk to local children. “I love my neighborhood, but there’s been some form of criminal activity here and there,” he said.
Mayor Eric Adams, who visited the scene Wednesday afternoon, called the shooting a “senseless act of violence.”
“Innocent New Yorkers should not be the victims of violence,” he said.
The mayor said the area is experiencing gang activity, but it was not yet clear if gangs were involved in the shooting. He said Mr. Smith had been arrested last year when he was accused of stabbing two people during a robbery.
The National Action Network said it was working to support Ms. Mette’s family.
“We are committed to standing with the community not only in grief, but in the ongoing struggle for justice, safety and peace,” said the Rev. Ronald McHenry, coordinator of the network’s headquarters in Harlem.
Molly Longman contributed reporting.
Shayla Colon is a reporter covering New York City and a member of the 2024-25 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.
Chelsia Rose Marcius is a criminal justice reporter for The Times, covering the New York Police Department.
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