NEW YORK: Five individuals were shot during New York City’s West Indian American Day Parade on Monday, according to police reports. The incident is the latest in a series of violent incidents at one of the largest annual celebrations of Caribbean culture. NYPD Patrol Chief John Chell reported the shooting happened about 2:35 p.m. along the parade route in Brooklyn. The gunman, targeting a specific group, opened fire on Eastern Parkway, a main thoroughfare in Brooklyn. The parade had begun several hours earlier, with thousands of participants dancing and marching. Despite the shooting, the parade was expected to continue into the night. Two victims were seriously injured, while three others are expected to recover. “This was not accidental,” Chell stressed. “This was an intentional act by one individual toward a group of people. We do not have an active shooter or anything of that sort around Eastern Parkway. The parade is ongoing and will continue tonight.”
An Associated Press videographer near the scene saw at least two individuals being treated for wounds to the face and hand. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was also present at the parade and completed the route without incident. Police cordoned off an area adjacent to the parade route and placed crime scene markers while officers were collecting evidence. Chell urged spectators to share any video footage they captured during the shooting. “We need that video,” he said. “We’re going to solve this, but it’s going to take a lot of work.”
Historical context and past events
The West Indian American Day Parade, an annual Labor Day event now in its 57th year, transforms Eastern Parkway into a vibrant display of feathered costumes and colorful flags. Participants march alongside floats playing soca and reggae music. The parade draws large crowds along its roughly 2-mile (3.2-kilometer) route from Crown Heights to the Brooklyn Museum. Despite the festive atmosphere, the parade has been marred by violence in past years. In 2016, two people were killed and several others were injured near the parade route. Last year, Carrie Gabay, an aide to then-Governor Andrew Cuomo, was shot during pre-parade festivities.
Origins and cultural significance of the parade
The West Indian American Day Parade has its roots in pre-Lent Carnival celebrations started by a Trinidadian immigrant in Manhattan nearly a century ago. The celebration was moved to a warmer time of year in the 1940s. Brooklyn began hosting the parade in the 1960s, becoming home to hundreds of thousands of Caribbean immigrants and their descendants.
