One of the five people shot after a gunman fired into a crowd of onlookers at Monday’s West Indian Day parade has died, police said Tuesday.
The 25-year-old man died at Kings County Hospital after being shot in the stomach by the gunman, who remained at large.
Four men and one woman ranging in age from 69 to 16 were shot when the gunman opened fire near the corner of Eastern Parkway and Franklin Ave. in Crown Heights about 2:30 p.m., NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said.
“This was one person intentionally going after a group of people who tried to ruin the day for everybody,” Chell said.
The remaining four victims, which included a 69-year-old woman, a 64-year-old man, a 36-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy, are all expected to survive, NYPD officials said Tuesday.
The five victims were standing on the sidewalk enjoying the parade when the gunman opened fire from the concrete divider between the Eastern Parkway service road toward the sidewalk, where “thousands of people were watching the parade,” Chell said at a press conference at the scene Monday afternoon.
The 25-year-old was fatally shot in the abdomen. His name was not immediately revealed. It wasn’t immediately clear if the gunman was aiming at the 25-year-old or another person in the crowd.
“There were lots of shots,” a stunned 35-year-old woman who witnessed the carnage told the Daily News Monday. “It was in the middle of the parade with people all around. Crazy!”
Scores of brilliantly colored floats and dancers were wending their way along the parade route before the shooting erupted.
No arrests have been made. The gunman is described as Black having a slim build. He was wearing a brown shirt with either paint or oil stains and was wearing a black bandanna, cops said.
Chell asked anyone with video of the shooting to come forward.
“We need that video. We are going to solve this, but it’s going to take a lot of work,” he explained.
No other shootings or stabbings occurred during the parade, police said.
The shooting occurred just hours after Mayor Adams boasted about parade safety, telling reporters, “We knew we could celebrate and be safe at the same time.”
On late Monday, Mayor Adams said the gunman “turned today’s celebration into tragedy when he senselessly fired into the crowd, hitting multiple revelers.”
“The NYPD is investigating this incident, and we are grateful for the brave men and women who quickly responded and helped to ensure New Yorkers could continue to be safe while celebrating,” Mayor Adams said in a joint statement with American Day Carnival Association President Roger Archibald.
“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.”
The NYPD had deployed a fleet of drones, carefully placed surveillance cameras, and sent a massive number of officers to cover the J’Ouvert celebration and West Indian Day Parade, which is historically plagued with shootings and violence.
Last year’s J’Ouvert celebration and West Indian Day parade were relatively safe, although there was a deadly shooting after the parade ended. There was also a fight that erupted in gunfire and an incident in which a man apparently shot himself in the foot, cops said.
Anyone with information regarding the parade shooting is asked to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.