Clarke condemns shooting at massive Caribbean Carnival Parade

Caribbean-American Democratic U.S. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke on Wednesday strongly condemned the shooting of multiple spectators at the massive West Indian-American Day Carnival Parade in Brooklyn on Labor Day Monday.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) said on Tuesday that one man has died after an unidentified gunman opened fire on spectators almost at the end of the 57th Annual West Indian American Day Carnival Parade on Eastern Parkway, a major thoroughfare in Brooklyn.

The NYPD said at least five people were shot and wounded at Classon Avenue and Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn.

The NYPD said 25-year-old Denzel Chan, of Texas, died at the sprawling Kings County Hospital in the heart of the Caribbean community in Brooklyn after being shot in the stomach by the assailant, who remains at large.

“On behalf of the people of the 9th District and myself, I wish to express my deepest condolences to the families and beloved community members who are traumatized and bereaved at the tragic loss of life, injury, and harm that was witnessed and experienced during our Annual Caribbean Carnival,” Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, told Caribbean Life.  

“I am pained and extremely troubled by the horrific shooting that took place during the West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn,” added Clarke, who, with her Jamaican-born mother, former New York City Council Member Una S.T. Clarke, marched in the parade. “I, alongside my colleagues, local leadership, community members, and visitors, was enjoying a wonderful day of family, friends, and festivities as we celebrated the many contributions of the Caribbean community when we were rocked by gunfire and chaos.

“I’m calling upon those who may have seen the shooter to work with law enforcement officials as they work to apprehend him,” she continued. “I am so thankful to the first responders and medical professionals who secured the area and provided emergency response services for all those affected.

“I truly believe that every American has the right to the pursuit of happiness,” Clarke said. “Citizens of Brooklyn and all others around this great nation cannot obtain and fully realize that right when they are living in constant fear of becoming victims of gun violence. It’s past time that we fully protect our communities from the scourge of gun violence.”

The U.S. Rep. called for a “comprehensive approach to eliminate gun violence across this nation, starting with passing common-sense gun legislation that puts an end to gun trafficking and the illicit gun pipeline reaching into underserved and vulnerable communities, improves and elevates mental health services, and fully supports efforts to counter this ongoing and ever-present threat. Enough is enough!”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the Brooklyn-based West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA), organizer of the gigantic Carnival Parade, also strongly condemned the shooting at the extravaganza.

“The West Indian American Day Parade is a joyous event that celebrates our city’s multitude of cultures and diversity. But instead of allowing all to enjoy a momentous occasion for our city, a gunman turned today’s celebration into tragedy when he senselessly fired into the crowd, hitting multiple revelers,” said Adams and WIADCA President Roger Archibald, a Trinidadian-born attorney, in a joint statement Monday night.

“The NYPD is investigating this incident, and we are grateful for the brave men and women who quickly responded and helped to ensure New Yorkers could continue to be safe while celebrating,” they added.

“While we are keeping the victims and their families in our prayers as they fight to recover, we know we must do more to combat gun violence and ensure the safety of every New Yorker and visitor,” Adams and Archibald continued.

NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said four men and one woman, whose ages range from 16 to 69, were wounded when the gunman fired multiple shots at paradegoers. 

“This was one person intentionally going after a group of people who tried to ruin the day for everybody,” Chell said. “This was not random; this was an intentional act.”

He said the suspected gunman stood on the concrete divider on Eastern Parkway and fired multiple shots into the crowd of nearby spectators.

The NYPD identified the other victims, listed as in stable condition, only as a 69-year-old woman who was shot in the back right shoulder; a 64-year-old man who was shot in the right arm; a 36-year-old man who was shot in the head; and a 16-year-old male who shot in the left arm.

The NYPD said the gunman, believed to be in his 20s, fled the scene on foot.

United States House of Representatives Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who represents Crown Heights, a section of his 8th Congressional District that encompasses parts of Brooklyn and Queens, said he was “saddened and horrified” by the shooting.

“My prayers are with the victims and their families during this difficult time,” said Jeffries, who spoke earlier on Monday at the Pre-Parade Breakfast. “The parade is a beautiful display of culture and community that I have been honored to attend over the years, including this year. Every American should be able to celebrate their heritage without the threat of gun violence.

“No one in Brooklyn, New York, or America is safe until we get weapons of war off our streets,” he added. “America cannot be the best version of herself until we crush the scourge of gun violence once and for all.”

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, who also participated in the parade, said the shooting also saddened him.

“I pray for everyone affected,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “We must keep working to end gun violence in America.”

The NYPD said, during a press conference on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at 1 Police Plaza in lower Manhattan, that the unidentified assailant in Monday’s shooting was a gang member and that he had a score to settle with a 16-year-old victim.

“We believe this is an isolated incident,” said Chief Jerry O’Sullivan of the NYPD Detectives Bureau. “We believe this is gang-related based on the people we have identified at the scene and fleeing from the scene.

“So far, our investigation shows this was one shooter that created this incident,” he added, stating that police investigators are obtaining “a tremendous amount of help” from the community via videos as they seek to find the gunman. 

NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said: “Halfway through the West Indian Day Parade, some fool decides to fire a gun into a crowd.

“The NYPD has drastically reduced violence at this event,” he said. “We have cut shootings down and cut violence down, and we will continue to do that.”