NEW YORK — At least five people were shot and wounded along the route of the annual West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn on Monday, briefly disrupting — but not derailing — a crowded and colorful celebration of New York City’s Caribbean community.
At least one of the victims was listed in critical condition, with the remaining four expected to recover, police said.
It was not immediately clear what led to the shooting, which occurred hours into the parade, around 2:30 p.m., near 307 Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. But at a news conference, John Chell, chief of patrol of the New York Police Department, described it as a targeted attack. The shooter, whom Chell described as a man in his 20s, remained at large as of Monday afternoon.
It was another conspicuous episode of violence to occur alongside the event in recent years, but, soon afterward, the parade, an annual celebration of emancipation from enslavement, continued along with its festive music, colorful outfits and decorative floats.
Adrianalee Watson, 15, said she was selling bracelets with her mother Monday when they heard the gunshots and ran into a nearby building for safety. After ambulances took the victims away, she returned to her spot on Eastern Parkway and resumed her business.
“It’s a fun experience, even though you do have people who ruin the fun,” she said. “You’ve just got to be safe about it.”
Many attendees seemed unaware of the incident at the crowded event, where revelers in bright colors marched and danced.
But the heavy police presence, including drones and helicopters overhead, was a constant reminder of the violence that has marred the event in the past.
In 2015, Carey Gabay, a lawyer for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was fatally shot when he was caught in a crossfire during J’Ouvert, the early-morning event that precedes the bigger procession..
On Friday, Police Department officials said officers would patrol the entire 1.6-mile parade route and issued 300 security wands to check every attendee for concealed weapons at the parade’s entry points. Six drone teams were set to be deployed to monitor the crowd and coordinate with other city agencies to curb underage drinking, the officials said.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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