A teenage girl died of a gunshot wound to the head at the Harborview Terrace NYCHA complex, located on 10th Ave. and W. 56th St., in the wee hours of November 2.
Cops say that Kimberly Olmos, 18, died in a stairwell not long before 1 a.m. The Daily News initially reported that cops believed the wound was self-inflicted, whether due to intentional or accidental discharge. Even earlier reports merely mentioned that she was “shot to death,” which led to the impression that she was shot by somebody else, which cops have now circled back towards.
The authorities now say that Olmos, who lived in the Morris Heights neighborhood of the Bronx, was walking with a friend down the stairwell when the gun went off. The latest report in the Daily News indicates that the friend may have been playing with the gun when it discharged, killing her. Cops note that the unidentified friend then reportedly ran off with the firearm, and is being sought for murder charges.
Olmos was rushed to Mt. Sinai Morningside, a few streets over on 10th Ave., but she could not be revived. After an autopsy, the city’s Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide. A pool of blood reportedly remained on the stairs for much of Sunday night, before being cleaned up.
The Daily News managed to reach Olmos’s heartbroken father, Richard Olmos, who originally hails from the Dominican Republic. “She was going to the Dominican Republic for vacation on Nov. 14,” he said of his daughter. “She was really happy about it. She was so happy that she was counting the days.”
“I was concerned about the people she was hanging out with…but she is 18 years old. We cannot do much,” Richard Olmos added.
In a Facebook post, her grandmother Sharol Olmos said that Kimberly was “ruthlessly ripped” from her family. “We live where anyone can have a gun,” the post read.
Olmos’s bereaved friends are now raising money for her funeral on GoFundMe. “On November 2, 2025 we lost family member, a friend but most importantly, a daughter. She was genuinely the sweetest girl you could ever meet, talk to and be around. She was a great friend, great daughter and a beautiful soul,” the fundraising portal notes.
“We are raising money to help her mother who is grieving the loss of her only child. She deserves a lovely funeral as a last goodbye to her passing. We could use all the support and help to raise money for Kimberly’s funeral. She deserves everything under the sun,” they added.
As of Nov. 6, the GoFundMe had raised $475, out of a $2,200 goal. A funeral will reportedly be held on November 9, although the portal seeks to raise funds through November 30.
The latest Midtown North crime statistics, which preceded the Nov. 2 shooting and encompassed the week of Oct. 20 to Oct. 26, show that four murders have occurred in the precinct that contains Harborview Terrace this year—compared to three this time last year. There have also been seven shooting victims this year, compared to six last year.