NEW YORK — One of five people shot in New York City West Indian American Day Parade has died, police reported Tuesday.
A 25-year-old man who was among the victims when shots were fired Monday afternoon during the raucous annual event was later pronounced dead, police said in a news release.
The gunman opened fire along the parade route in Brooklyn, killing five people, police said.
The four surviving victims remained hospitalized Tuesday, ranging in age from 16 to 69.
Police are still searching for the shooter, who authorities say targeted a specific group of people.
“This was not random,” NYPD Patrol Chief John Chell said after the shooting. “This was an intentional act by one person against a group of people.”
The parade, a popular Labor Day Eventhad started several hours earlier along Eastern Parkway, a major thoroughfare in Brooklyn.
The festival features a kaleidoscope of feather-covered costumes, colorful flags and piled-high floats, while loudspeakers blast soca and reggae music.
It is also a magnet for local politicians, many of whom have a West Indian background or represent members of the city’s large Caribbean community.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was in the parade at the time of the shooting and completed the route.
“I am hurt and saddened by the horrible shooting that occurred as we marched together at the West Indian Day Festival and Parade in Brooklyn,” Schumer, a Democrat, wrote on X. “Thank you to our first responders on the ground. My prayers are with everyone affected. We must continue to work to end gun violence in America.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, also a Democrat, offered his condolences to the family of the shooting victim on Tuesday, saying, “Let’s be clear: One lunatic shot five people.”
Adams rejected the motion to cancel the parade.
“We do not indulge in crime,” he said. “If something happens during the Thanksgiving Day parade, do we stop the parade? We will not be held captive by the numerical minority that engages in criminal behavior.”