West Indian Day Parade NYC Shootings: One Dead, Three Injured, Parade Shooting In Brooklyn Ruins Celebration, How Did The Shooting Occur?

West Indian Day Parade NYC shootings earlier today have left one dead and three injured, running the start of the annual celebration. Early Monday hours before the celebration, the West Indian Day Parade NYC shootings began as a gunman started shooting into a crowd of people in Brooklyn, said the New York City police.

Though the event was to be filled with colorful floats, elaborate costumes, politicians and merrymakers, the Caribbean celebration and political see-and-be-seen event was ruined moments before it began by the shooting, reports the Associated Press.

According to Newsday, police said a 26-year-old man who has recently been paroled began the West Indian Day Parade NYC shootings on a crowd of people on Empire Boulevard between Rogers and Nostrand avenues in Crown Heights. The man reportedly opened fired shortly after 3:30 a.m.

According to multiple reports, victims from the West Indian Day Parade NYC shootings include a 22-year-old man who was shot in the leg, a 22-year-old woman who was hit in the ankle and a 55-year-old man who was shot in the torso and pronounced dead at the scene.

The man and the woman who were still alive were reportedly taken to Kings County Hospital Center for treatment of injuries. Police previously said the injuries were not life-threatening.

NYPD Commissioner William Bratton said at a news briefing before the parade started, "We did unfortunately have an incident this morning before the morning parade."

He added, "A career criminal opened fire into the crowd. One individual deceased. Two injured. The individual that did the shooting was taken into custody immediately by police."

According to Newsday, Bratton called the West Indian Day Parade NYC shootings "very unfortunate . . . in terms of the event that we're here to enjoy today. We're looking at well over a million people celebrating peacefully and happily."

Another damage done by the West Indian Day Parade NYC shootings includes several rounds having shot an unmarked police van near the scene. According to police, the vehicle's glass was shattered and a detective inside the van unfortunately suffered cuts from. Police said the officer was taken to SUNY Downstate Medical Center.

The police eventually caught the shooter and arrested him. They reportedly found a .45-caliber black firearm which he dropped. The suspect remains unidentified and charges were still pending Monday.

Meanwhile, Mayor Bill de Blasio and first lady Chirlane McCray, who has roots in St. Lucia and Barbados, was at a breakfast in Lincoln Terrace Park before the parade began, and the West Indian Day Parade NYC shootings marred the event.

With regard to the shooting earlier, de Blasio said, "You've got a million people-plus who come here each year, the vast majority of people very safely and appropriately."

He added, "And I think the NYPD does an incredible job working with the community keeping this event safe."

According to CBS Local, the NYPD has deployed 4,000 officers to ensure safety this year. They are also reportedly keeping tabs on gang activities.

Despite the West Indian Day Parade NYC shootings, de Blasio defended the parade's importance, reports the AP.

He said at a breakfast attended by elected officials, parade organizers and local dignitaries before the parade, "The vast, vast majority have a wonderful time and only a few individuals get out of line. This parade started small, became big and is one of the great events in our city."

The West Indian Day parade is known as one of the city's largest celebrations. Today, it marks its 47th anniversary.

Its main purpose is to celebrate Caribbean culture and echo traditional pre-Lenten Carnival festivities. Parade dancers wear elaborate, feathered costumes.

The event reportedly draws in more than 1 million people, whilst also providing one of the last big stages before the Sept. 9 primary.

This year's event was held in Crown Heights and Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. The grand marshal position was filled in by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. Other political figures were Mayor Bill de Blasio and wife, Chirlane McCray, who is of Caribbean decent.

West Indian Day Parade NYC shootings aren't the only ones to mar this event. Last year, two people were fatally stabbed at the parade. In 2011, a man was alsoshot to death.