5 people shot along West Indian Day Parade route: NYPD
NEW YORK CITY - Five people were shot along the West Indian Day Parade route after a man fired a weapon, police said.
The shooting happened at 2:30 p.m. on the Eastern Parkway.
The suspect is described as a Black man, in his 20s, slim build, wearing a black bandanna, went into the crowd and fired gunshots.
Police said the suspect stood on the cement divider on Eastern Parkway and fired into the crowd where people were watching the parade.
In a news conference hosted by the NYPD, police said four males and one woman were struck by the gunfire.
The NYPD said three of the victims are going to survive and two are in critical condition. The victims include a 36-year-old man who was shot in the head, a 69-year-old woman who was shot in the shoulder, a 64-year-old man shot in the arm, a 25-year-old man shot in the stomach, and a 16-year-old shot in the arm.
"Multiple cops are working very hard today to keep this community and parade safe," Chell said at the conference.
The NYPD is urging the public to share any videos of the incident that could assist in their investigation.
Back in 2015, an aide to former governor Andrew Cuomo was shot and killed after getting caught in the crossfire of a gang shooting.
In 2016, two people were shot and killed, including a college student.
Last year, at least 2 people were shot and another slashed in the arm.
New York Senator Charles Schumer marched in the parade and posted on X.
About the West Indian American Day Parade
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 05: Revelers participate in the annual West Indian Day parade on September 5, 2022 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. The annual celebration of West Indian culture returned this year after a two-year hiatus due t
The West Indian American Day Parade 2024 kicked off Monday in NYC, with thousands of revelers dancing and marching along Brooklyn's Eastern Parkway in one of the world’s largest celebrations of Caribbean culture.
Now in its 57th year, the annual Labor Day event turns the borough’s Eastern Parkway into a kaleidoscope of feather-covered costumes and colorful flags as participants make their way down the thoroughfare alongside floats stacked high with speakers playing soca and reggae music.
The event has its roots in more traditionally timed, pre-Lent Carnival celebrations started by a Trinidadian immigrant in Manhattan around a century ago, according to the organizers. The festivities were moved to the warmer time of year in the 1940s.
This story is developing. Stay with FOX 5 NY for updates.