At least three people were shot at the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn, police said Monday afternoon.
The massive celebration of Caribbean culture was interrupted briefly around 4 p.m. when the victims were wounded in separate shootings around the parade.
One person was quickly taken into custody after a man was shot near Nostrand Avenue and St. John’s Place in Crown Heights.
The NYPD said a woman was shot, not far away, near Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue. A man was also grazed in the leg.
The violence broke out less than two hours before the parade was scheduled to wrap at 5:30 p.m., earlier than in years past in an attempt by city officials to curb violence that has occurred in previous parades. Police established check points with metal detectors and were not allowing bags along the parade route.
In Brooklyn, a massive celebration of Caribbean culture was on display during the West Indian Day Parade, an event that draws a big crowd each year. NBC New York’s Erica Byfield, Jessica Cunnington and Andrew Siff report.
Hours earlier, around 6 a.m., three men were stabbed as annual J’Ouvert celebrations were about to begin.
The NYPD said investigators were looking for one person said to be responsible for attacks on all three men shortly before 6 a.m. in Crown Heights. Police had two separate crime scenes along Utica Avenue at Carroll Street and President Street.
At least one of the victims, a man stabbed in the neck, was critically wounded and fighting for his life. The other two men were expected to survive. Police said the men were ages 23, 32 and 36.