Seventeen-year-old Vance Mims III was shot on the Fourth of July in Albany, New York, after attending a fireworks display at Empire State Plaza with family and friends. According to police, the shooting happened on Madison Avenue when a gun battle between two teenagers erupted; Mims was struck in the head and remained in critical condition for thirteen days before dying on July 17, 2025.

Albany police say three other people were also injured in the incident. Investigators arrested two teenagers; a 15-year-old is accused of firing the handgun that struck Mims and was initially charged with attempted murder. After Mims died the Albany County District Attorney’s office upgraded the charge to murder, and the 15-year-old pleaded not guilty. The second teen is accused of firing a flare gun into a building on Madison Avenue, causing a fire, and faces charges including attempted murder and arson. Names have not been released because both suspects are minors.

Did anyone who attended the Empire State Plaza fireworks that night see or hear anything that could help clarify what happened on Madison Avenue?