NYC West Indian American Day Parade shooting: 1 dead, 4 injured

NEW YORK CITY - One person has died after five people were shot on Monday at New York City’s West Indian American Day Parade, the NYPD said.

According to police, Denzel Chan, 25, was shot in the abdomen around 2:35 p.m. along the parade route in Brooklyn. Chan was originally listed in critical condition, then stabilized, but later passed away due to complications, police said.

Police describe the suspect as a man in his 20s, with a slim build who was last seen wearing a brown shirt with paint stains and a black bandanna. The shooter allegedly got on a cement divider, between the service road and parade route, and opened fire on a crowd of revelers.

The parade had kicked off hours earlier, with thousands of revelers dancing and marching down Eastern Parkway, a main thoroughfare through the borough.

"This was not random," NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said. "This was an intentional act by one person towards a group of people."

Four others were injured – a 69-year-old woman was hit in the shoulder, a 64-year-old man was struck in the arm, a 36-year-old man in the head and a 16-year-old in the arm.

Police cordoned off an area adjacent to the parade route, where they had placed crime scene markers. The parade continued flowing past as officers were seen bagging items.

Chell asked that bystanders provide police with any video footage they may have recorded of the shooting.

"We need that video," Chell said. "We are going to solve this, but it’s going to take a lot of work."

The parade, an annual Labor Day event in its 57th year, turns 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.

"While we are keeping the victims and their families in our prayers as they fight to recover, we know we must do more to combat gun violence and ensure the safety of every New Yorker and visitor," Adams and West Indian American Day Carnival Association President Roger Achibald said in a statement.

Police officials told FOX 5 NY's Lisa Evers that on Wednesday they will present a summary of incidents that did happen over this past four-day weekend.

The parade routinely attracts huge crowds, who line the almost 2-mile route that runs from Crown Heights to the Brooklyn Museum. It’s also a popular destination for local politicians, many of whom have West Indian heritage or represent members of the city’s large Caribbean community.

The Associated Press wire services helped contribute to this report.