Mass Shooting Disrupts West Indian American Day Parade

A mass shooting rocked Brooklyn’s West Indian Day Parade on Monday, wounding five people — including two who suffered life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

Shots rang out at around 2:35 p.m. on Sept. 2 at 307 Eastern Pkwy. in Crown Heights along the parade route as the march proceeded. In all, cops say five people were injured in the bloody incident.

According to NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell, the chaos was believed to be the work of one gunman who callously fired into the sidewalk of spectators who had gathered to watch the festivities unfold.

The shooting cast a pall upon what is one of Brooklyn’s biggest cultural events. Tens of thousands of marchers and spectators participated in the colorful event, and the NYPD had beefed up security in an effort to prevent gun violence and other criminal incidents that had occurred during or before the parade in recent years.

A mass shooting rocked Brooklyn’s West Indian Day Parade on Monday, wounding five people — including two who suffered life-threatening injuries, authorities said. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

“This was an intentional attentional act by one person towards a group of people,” Chief Chell said. “This was not random.”Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

One man suffered a gunshot wound to the head, another was struck in the arm, and a third was hit in the torso. Another man was struck in the arm, authorities said. A woman was also shot in the shoulder. Two of the victims are fighting for their lives.

NYPD officials say they believed the shooter had a target in mind and was not firing at spectators haphazardly; however, they added that it is too early in the investigation process to determine who may have been the intended target, police said.

“This was on the cement divider between the service road and the parade route where thousands of people were watching the parade,” Chief Chell added.

Cops say they are looking for a man in his 20s and are asking anyone who may have video of the incident to come forward.

Anyone with information regarding the incident or the perpetrator’s whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.

This story was updated at 4:48 p.m.