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Utica 4th of July Shooting Leaves One Dead, Officer Injured as Crowd Erupts in Chaos

On July 4th, 2025 at approximately 10:40PM Utica Police and Utica Fire units were dispatched to the area of James St and Howard Ave regarding a gunshot victim.

Upon arrival they located the victim who was surrounded by a very large group of people. As they began to attempt to render aid, individuals in the group began to aggressively physically impede the first responding personnel trying to actively obstruct them from performing their duties. Officers and Fire personnel began to attempt to push them back, but were again physically accosted by the group. During this period a Utica Police officer was injured in the encounter and had to be transported to Wynn Hospital.

Eventually the victim was able to be loaded into a Utica Fire Department ambulance where immediate life saving measures were undertaken en route to Wynn Hospital. Once there emergency room staff provided all additional lifesaving efforts, but sadly the victim passed due to the injuries. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time. His identity will not be released until consultation with the family, but he is a 39 year old male from Utica.

While personnel were at the hospital another gunshot victim was transported by a private vehicle there. It was found that he was suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg, and it was also learned that he was also shot at the intersection of James St and Howard Ave. Thankfully his injuries were not life threatening.

While officers were attempting to secure a crime scene and conduct the initial investigations several physical altercations began to breakout amongst individuals on scene. A large group on James St and Seymour Ave then began to fight with Police Officers resulting in the arrest of five individuals for a variety of offenses.

Additional large fights began to break out at Wynn Hospital resulting in a large police response to quell them, and ultimately the hospital was able to begin operating normally again.

We would like to extend our gratitude to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police for their immediate response for aid. They were instrumental in assisting to restore order and ensure the safety of emergency personnel and the public.

The investigation into the shootings is on-going, and the case has been assigned to the Major Crimes Unit. We are asking that anyone with information please contact the Utica Police Department at (315) 223-3556 or you can submit a 100% anonymous tip online through Mohawk Valley Crime Stoppers at www.mohawkvalleycrimestoppers.com, by calling 1-866-730-8477 (TIPS), or by using the P3 Tips mobile app.



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