News Americas, BROOKLYN, NY, Mon. September 2, 2024: The American West Indian Day carnival parade got off to a great start today until a lone gunman walked into the crowd and opened fire this afternoon, New York police said.
The shooting marred a peaceful J’Ouvert celebration and Parade, Brooklyn’s 57th annual Caribbean culture carnival and one of the largest parades in the world.
Five people were shot on Eastern Parkway near Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights around 2:45 pm EST according to the NYPD. In a press conference, the police said that 4 men and 1 woman were trapped by gunfire. Police said that 2 of the victims are in critical condition and 3 are out of danger.
At least one person is still being sought. The suspect is described as a 6’2″ to 6’3″ thin male. wearing a brown shirt, who left westbound on Eastern Parkway toward Classon Avenue, police said.
Police are asking the public to come forward with any video of the incident that may be helpful to their investigation.
“This was a deliberate act by one person against a group of people,” NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said. “We don’t have any active shooters, or anything of that nature, running around Eastern Parkway as we speak.”
The carnival is presented annually by the West Indian Day Carnival Association, (WIADCA).
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn said he is “saddened and appalled by today’s shooting at the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn.”
“My prayers are with the victims and their families during this difficult time. The parade is a beautiful display of culture and community that I have had the honor of attending over the years, including this year. “Every American should be able to celebrate their heritage without the threat of gun violence,” he added in a statement. “No one in Brooklyn, New York or America is safe until we get the weapons of war off our streets. America cannot be the best version of itself until we stamp out the scourge of gun violence once and for all.”
CARIBBEAN CARNIVAL IN NEW YORK
The roots of the Caribbean Carnival in New York City can be traced back to the 1930s when Mrs. Jessie Wardell and some of her West Indian friends started the celebration in Harlem. Because of the cold February weather, they hosted costume parties at large indoor venues such as the Savoy, Renaissance and Audubon Ballroom. This time coincided with the traditional pre-Lent celebrations celebrated in many countries around the world. However, the indoor setting limited the true spirit of the carnival, which flourishes in outdoor parades with live music and costumes.
The first known Street Carnival activity in NYC occurred in the 1940s when Mrs. Wardell secured a permit for a parade in Harlem. In the 1960s, another Trinidadian, Rufus Goring, brought the carnival tradition to Brooklyn. In 1967, Goring passed the leadership to Carlos Lezama, who became president of the Western American Indian Day Carnival Association (WIADCA). Lezama nurtured the organization and the Carnival until 2001, when he retired due to ill health, and his daughter, Yolanda Lezama-Clark, took over as president until 2011. In 2012, Thomas Bailey was elected president. All these key figures spent their early years in Trinidad & Tobago.
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