Detectives say a person with a gun may have fled moments after the shot inside a Hell’s Kitchen NYCHA building.
NEW YORK — An 18-year-old identified by friends as Kimberly Olmos died after she was found with a gunshot wound to the head early Sunday in a stairwell at the Harborview Terrace public housing complex in Hell’s Kitchen, prompting a homicide investigation, police said.
Investigators said officers responded around 12:45 a.m. Sunday to the complex near West 56th Street and 10th Avenue. Olmos was discovered unresponsive in a stairwell and taken to Mount Sinai Morningside, where she was pronounced dead. Detectives initially reviewed whether the wound was self-inflicted; by midweek, they said evidence suggests another person was handling a firearm when it discharged and that individual left before police arrived.
Friends who gathered at small memorials in Manhattan and outside Olmos’ Bronx home described her as playful and creative, a teen who liked DIY projects and talked about college. “She could make a quiet room light up,” friend Daya Nellis said. Another friend, Jordan Berrios, called the loss “another young life” taken by gunfire. A mourner who identified himself as Jason Rodriguez urged the person involved to come forward, saying accountability would help the family begin to heal.
Homicide detectives are canvassing the building for witnesses, reviewing camera footage and working to locate the weapon, according to police. Officials have not announced any arrests, publicly identified additional people who were present or said what led the group into the stairwell. The Office of Chief Medical Examiner will finalize the cause and manner of death after completing its review.
Harborview Terrace, part of a cluster of NYCHA buildings near the West Side Highway, sits on the edge of the Upper West Side and Midtown West. Residents said officers have made repeated visits this week to collect security video and re-interview neighbors about movements in and out of the tower shortly before the gunshot. Police said findings will be shared with prosecutors as they reconstruct the minutes before the shooting.
As the investigation continues, relatives are arranging services and friends plan another evening vigil near the building entrance. Police said they expect to provide an update once video analysis and lab work are complete, including any decision on potential charges or a suspect description.