Deacon C
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A Harlem mom was fatally shot after she and her boyfriend confronted a man who had just groped her on the street, police said Monday as they pressed their search for the gunman.
Shadina Smith left her apartment on W. 150th St. near Frederick Douglass Blvd. about 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 16, then rushed back to tell her boyfriend that a man had grabbed her, authorities said.
The 26-year-old boyfriend and Smith, 29, went outside and confronted the groper, sparking an argument that led to gunfire.
The couple was caught in a hail of bullets inside the first-floor hallway of their apartment building, cops said.
The boyfriend was blasted in the chest and left arm and Smith was struck three times in the chest.
Both were taken to Harlem Hospital, where Smith, the mother of a 1-year-old boy, died. Her boyfriend has since been released from the hospital.
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Detectives found shell casings outside the building, leading them to believe that the gunman fired from outside the building. He has not been caught.
A friend of the victim, Jamie Rentas, posted as part of an online fund-raiser to cover funeral expenses that Smith, known as Dina to those closest to her, “was a wonderful mother, daughter, wife and friend who touched the lives of those around her.”
“She leaves behind her precious baby boy,” Rentas said in the posting. “Dina was an amazing person with a big heart. ... She had a fire inside her which attracted anyone who crossed her path. She was funny, witty and had such a positive vibe.”
Another online fund-raiser aims to provide for her son.
“Please keep in mind a young boy growing up in this society without his mother,” the organizer wrote. “Having to go through the rest of his life without a mother, friend, provider, his everything is unimaginable.”
Harlem mom fatally shot after confronting man who groped her on street