Story by Ethan
On June 9th, 2025, the arrest of Ricky Shelby, age 23, was announced by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr.. Ricky Shelby was charged with second-degree Murder, second-degree Attempted Murder, and second-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon. The arrest and charges against Ricky Shelby were a result of an investigation handled by NYPD Detective Christian Genao of the 28th Precinct Detective Squad.
According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, at approximately 10:30 p.m. on April 22nd, 2025, Ricky Shelby, a separately charged defendant in Darious Smith, and an unnamed group of individuals were gathered on Lenox Avenue around West 113th and 112th streets. Darious Smith had allegedly brandished a 9mm handgun to the group which caused them to disperse. After taking his weapon out Douglas Smith allegedly fired two shots in the direction of Ricky Shelby’s BMW, however nobody in the group fleeing southbound was hit. Ricky Shelby hid in his BMW before allegedly brandishing a weapon of his own, a 40-caliber handgun, striking Douglas Smith once in the leg after firing six shots. During the standoff it’s alleged that Ricky Shelby had also hit Excenia Mette, an innocent bystander walking on West 113th and 114th streets, with a fatal shot to her head that killed her at the scene. After fleeing from the scene Ricky Shelby would surrender himself to the NYPD on April 28th, 2025.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Ricky Shelby are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
