Pioneering bodega owner, beloved neighborhood matriarch and valued member of the Harlem community Excenia ‘Zeenie’ Mette was killed in a crossfire while trying to protect her family. The 61-year-old enterpreneur who founded New York City’s first Black and woman owner bodega was killed Tuesday night when she was shot outside her apartment building on Lenox Avenue. The community that Mette belonged to is shocked by the incident: she was more than a mere shopkeeper — Mette was a mentor, caretaker, and local icon.
The Tragic Incident
Inside Tamara’s Beauty Bar, on the first floor of her building, she had heard two people an argument become heated on April 23 evening. But she ran out nonetheless, as she was concerned for her grandson’s safety, only to be caught in a gunfight between two men. That altercation resulted in police reports confirming that one of the men pulled a gun. Fired was a second man who had produced a weapon and who began to wrestle with them for control. Mette was struck in the head by a bullet. She was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital by medics, but she was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.
A Life of Service and Soul Food
Mette was more than a business woman. “Momma Zee’s Food to Plez Deli” is a community staple that has since opened its doors in 1987 and became known for its huge portions of soul food (ribs, mac and cheese, collard greens, etc.) offered from the counter. For kids, for neighbors, for whoever needed a place to be kept safe, the bodega was a safe place to be, and a place to get nourishment. Her remains of friendliness and kindness didn’t stop there. Zeenie touched the lives of countless with just an offer of a toy, or lending a listening ear..
The deli closed entirely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the deli became a central spot on the block for Mette to cook, first at a deli, and then later when that closed as well, at the deli across the street. Her Facebook feed is full of activity, with photos of her at Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network convention, and with public figures such as actor Anthony Anderson and Yusef Salaam.
Family First: A Grandmother’s Final Act
The reason that Mette stepped outside that night makes her death all the more poignant. And she was deeply protective of her family and lived with her grandson. This was nothing unusual with Zeenie said her cousin Roberta Foote, who explained that it was just part of Zeenie’s nature to run toward danger if it meant protecting her loved ones. “Anything bad could have happened or something go wrong, Zeenie would stop what she was doing, and she would always be there.” The most haunting thing about her final act, is that she screams for her grandson after the shooting, according to eyewitnesses.
Investigation and Broader Concerns
23 year old Darious Smith, who was shot in the foot by police is expected to be charged with firearms offences. They say he was one of the men in this initial argument. Who the second shooter might have been is yet to be known. Eight shell casings and a firearm were found at the scene by the NYPD, who are continuing to investigate the incident. The tragedy was not confirmed to be gang related, but Mayor Eric Adams linked the tragedy to problems of gun violence plaguing Harlem where rival gangs have turned public spaces into battlefields in the past.
A Call for Change
The senseless death of Excenia Mette has sparked renewed calls for community safety and gun control. Neighbors like Sara Lee, 41, expressed frustration and sorrow. “She was just an awesome woman, and for her to die at 61 years old to gun violence is horrible,” she said. “This could have happened to any one of us. When is it going to stop?”
Mayor Adams echoed the sentiment, mourning the loss of a woman who embodied community spirit. “We have a grandmother that is lost in this community due to a senseless act of violence,” he stated during a visit to the scene.
