Another Black woman has lost her life at the hands of a street harasser. According to the New York Daily News, Shadina Smith, 29, was shot in the chest three times after confronting a man who randomly groped her as she walked down the street.
The incident took place on a Saturday afternoon. Smith had just left her apartment on W. 150th Street near Frederick Douglas Boulevard when she came in contact with her assailant. Police say that she ran back to her apartment to tell her fiancé that she had been assaulted. Together, the couple returned to the site of the assault and confronted Smith’s assailant. The argument escalated and the suspect responded with gunfire. Smith’s fiancé was also struck by bullets — once in the chest and once in the arm.
The couple was rushed to Harlem Hospital. As previously stated, Smith died of her injuries. Her fiancé was treated and released. The gunman remains at large. The beautiful new mom leaves behind her one-year-old son, Uriah.
“It’s been a horrific nightmare situation,” said her aunt, Corine Booker, 33. “She was very invested in her son and his future. I hate that he won’t be able to know how wonderful and how resilient she was. She did not pout. We just want to make sure to give him all that love.”
“She was completely outgoing and full of life. She always had a really big smile on her face. She had a contagious spirit. She could get along with everybody,” she went on. “Everybody feels close to her, everybody was her best friend, everybody loved her. People really loved Shadina because she loved people.”
Booker adds that hearing Smith’s fiancé recount what happened was deeply troubling and heartbreaking.
“Sometimes not all bright lights can shine for a long time,” said Booker.