Oct 21, 2009 1:16 pm US/Eastern
Bronx Community Mourns Loss Of 92-Year-Old Native
'Vivacious' Widow, 92-Years-Young, Struck By Stray Bullet While Sitting Safely In Her Home
Reporting
Jay Dow
BRONX (CBS) ―
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Residents of a community in the Bronx were outraged Tuesday night by the latest senseless act of violence. One neighbor was protesting the latest violent incident after a stray bullet claimed the life of a 92-year-old woman on October 20, 2009.
CBS
A well known figure in a Bronx neighborhood was silenced Tuesday night.
Police say 92-year-old Sadie Mitchell was struck and killed by a stray bullet as teenagers engaged in gunfire on the street outside her home.
The energetic 92-year-old was, as one neighbor put it, "Big in the Bronx." - A petite, vivacious widow, who often held court from her stoop on East 224th Street.
"She would always be out front, saying good morning to you with her dog," said neighbor Caesar Lugo.
But her familiar voice was silenced last night by a stray bullet that came through her living room window and struck her in her back.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg even joined in the chorus of mourning friends and neighbors, saying Wednesday that Mitchell's death "tugs at your heart."
A strong advocate of gun control, he says, "What a sick world we have. We've just got to get guns off the streets."
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said Mitchell died "inside a place that was supposed to be safe, her house, and became one more victim of gun wielding criminals."
It would be an understatement to say Mitchell was active for her age. A neighbor said that moments after she was shot, she not only remained conscious, but had the strength and presence of mind to make one last phone call for help.
Mary Fields said when she picked up the phone, at about 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, she couldn't believe what she heard.
"She said, 'Mrs. Fields, get over here, I've been shot.' Those were her exact words."
Neighbors say they're stunned by what's being described as an especially troubling and senseless act of violence.
Lugo recalled her extensive charity and holiday volunteer work in the community, and her status as a charter member of the North Bronx Chapter of the National Council for Negro Women, founded in 1967.
"It's a horror that a person insider their home, sitting down, who has lived all their life in the home, could die like that," said Lugo.
A wife, mother and mentor, whose life, friends say, should not have ended like this.
Police say they're still investigating the details of the incident, and searching for a suspect.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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