Two teens charged in fatal shooting of bronx girl in midtown manhattan

NEW YORK, NY – Two teenage males have been charged in connection with the shooting death of 18-year-old Kimberly Olimos, a Bronx resident found fatally wounded inside a Midtown Manhattan apartment complex late last year.

Police say officers responded to a 911 call reporting an assault in progress around 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, November 2, 2025, at 520 West 55th Street, within the Harborview Houses and the Midtown North Precinct area. Upon arrival, officers discovered Olimos suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. She was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

Following a months-long investigation, detectives arrested 18-year-old Abdel Velazquez of West 40th Street, Manhattan, on December 3, 2025. He was charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and tampering with physical evidence. A second suspect, a 16-year-old male whose name was withheld due to his age, was taken into custody on January 7, 2026. He faces charges including manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.

Authorities have not released details regarding a possible motive or the relationship between the suspects and the victim. Investigators continue to examine how the confrontation escalated inside the West 55th Street apartment, as prosecutors prepare to present the case before a grand jury.

According to police sources, surveillance footage and ballistic evidence were key factors in identifying the suspects, though officials declined to discuss specifics of the ongoing case.

Kimberly Olimos’s death adds to a troubling pattern of youth-involved gun violence in the city, prompting renewed calls for prevention and intervention programs targeting teens most at risk of firearm-related crime.

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