Shootings and stabbings rock area near West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn
The NYPD is investigating multiple shootings and stabbings that happened Monday near the West Indian American Day Parade route.
Police responded to the scene of a 24-year-old man shot in the buttocks at 800 Nostrand Ave., between St. John's Place and Lincoln Place, just after 4 p.m.
"There were a bunch of people fighting. All of a sudden you hear pop, pop. People started running. A person on the ground yelling he was shot," a witness said.
Police said a person of interest was taken into custody and a firearm was recovered, adding the victim was hospitalized and is expected to be okay.
Minutes after that shooting, a 37-year-old woman was shot in the leg and a 19-year-old man suffered graze wounds to both legs near the parade route on Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue, police said. Both are listed in stable condition at Kings County Hospital.
Police were seen gathering evidence at the separate shooting sites just down the street from each other, but it's unclear if they were connected or if the victims were the intended targets. Police sources did say there was a search underway for two men who fled the scene of the second shooting.
The NYPD had said prior to this year's celebration that it had increased security measures due to violence in previous years, but the bloodshed started before the parade even kicked off. Police said three people were found stabbed before 6 a.m. at Utica Avenue and Carroll Street.
A 32-year-old man and a 23-year-old man were both stabbed in the neck, and a 36-year-old was stabbed on his face. All are in stable condition at Kings County Hospital.
Less than 15 minutes later, a 25-year-old man was slashed on his chin at Eastern Parkway and Nostrand Avenue. He was also listed in stable condition.
So far, no arrests have been made in connection to the stabbings.
The witness to the first shooting said he was hoping heavier police presence would promote peace.
"It's awful. They said they were going to do different things with the police," he said.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
