One man was shot, one was stabbed and a cop was bitten at New York's West Indian Day Parade on Labor Day, officials say.
Police say the shooting and the stabbing happened about a hour and a half apart Monday evening in the same area of Eastern Parkway, which is along the parade route. A 22-year-old man was shot in the torso, and then a 20-year-old man was stabbed in the abdomen.
Two police officers were also injured by an unruly parade attendee, with one bitten in the leg and other bruised in the leg. That person was arrested.
The shooting happened at about 4:47 p.m., police said.
The man was shot and injured near beginning of the parade route. He was taken to Kings County Hospital where he is listed in serious condition but is expected to survive.
Law enforcement sources told NBC 4 New York the man was shot in the stomach. Bleeding, he hopped over the barricade and walked across Eastern Parkway and collapsed, they said.
Officers were searching for the shooter.
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At 6:15 p.m. a 20-year-old was stabbed in the stomach. He was also expected to survive.
The violence was the exception to what has otherwise been a very safe day, police said, and it was still enjoyed by the hundreds in attendance.
Families, politicians and police joined together to celebrate the music, costumes and culture of the Carribean.
Performing in the West Indian Parade was a way for Rasheeba Phillips to preserve her family's past while inspiring the future of her Carribean community, she said.
"It's very important to know I'm living out here in the United States and my family is in the Carribean and I get to celebrate and be a part of something that started in the Carribean," she said.
And the day was more than just a parade for Reggie and Shania Alford, a father and daughter who were proud of the traditions on display.
"I just want to show her where her roots come from," Reggie said.
With more police at the parade and an amplified security plan, Commissioner O'Neill said he believed the changes were having an impact.
"I'm really pleased at what we're seeing at the parade right now, and J'ouvert last night.
"I think J'ouvert was our biggest challenge. The solution we came up with wasn't just an NYPD solution. We did that with the elected. We did that with the community."
The West Indian Day Parade followed the day's curtain-opener, J'ouvert. That event, which combines the French words "jour" and "ouvert" and means daybreak, has been held for decades in the pre-dawn darkness, but there was serious talk of canceling the party this year.
Shootings near the J'ouvert march route have long been a concern.
In 2015, an aide to Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo was killed by a stray bullet. Last year, 17-year-old Tyreke Borel was shot and killed and a 72-year-old woman was grazed in the arm. Soon after, a 22-year-old woman, Tiarah Poyau, was shot in the head just a block away and died.
