As thousands celebrated West Indian American Day in Brooklyn on Monday, there was a fight that resulted in five individuals being shot, according to authorities.
A gunman reportedly got up on a parade barrier on the north side of the Eastern Parkway service road and started shooting into the crowd, according to a high-ranking law enforcement source who was present at the scene near Eastern Parkway and Franklin Avenue.
The annual parade, one of the biggest gatherings of the Caribbean diaspora worldwide, does not seem to be the aim of the gunshot that left at least two individuals critically injured, an NYPD spokeswoman told NBC New York.
At a press conference outside the Brooklyn Museum, NYPD officers stated that the investigation is still underway and that no suspect has been taken into custody. Authorities are looking for a gunman in his 20s who was sporting a black bandana and a brown shirt that had paint streaks on it.
Among those present during the march on Monday were Governor Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams, and senior NYPD officials.
At that time, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer finished the parade route by marching in his own vehicle.
Schumer wrote on X, now known as Twitter, “I’m pained and troubled by the horrible shooting that took place as we were marching together at the West Indian Day Festival and Parade in Brooklyn.” “We appreciate having our first responders on the spot. I offer prayers for all those impacted. In order to stop gun violence in America, we must not give up.
The parade was first held in Brooklyn in the 1960s, when hundreds of thousands of Caribbean immigrants and their descendants migrated there.