A shootout at a crowded house party early Saturday left one man dead, eight people wounded and a block-long trail of bloodstains that ended in front of a public school.
"It was chaos,'' said Stanley Davis, who lives around the corner and awoke to the sound of police helicopters hovering overhead.
Several news sites said the party in Brooklyn's East New York neighborhood was advertised on Facebook as "Freaky Friday'' and had a $5 cover charge. As many as 100 people crowded into the party on a block of two-story row houses, neighbors said.
Police believe the shooting began just after 3 a.m. when two people who were already in a fight bumped into each other. The gunbattle then spilled out into the street.
Nine people were hurt. A 20-year-old man identified as Donzell Rogers was killed. Police said five shooting victims were in stable condition at area hospitals Saturday, while three were treated and released. Those victims ranged in age from 17 to 33.
Mr. Mikula, who has lived on the street for 30 years, said he heard the shots ring out. "I heard people running and screaming and yelling," he said.
None of the victims' names was immediately released. Several suspects were being questioned Saturday, and police recovered two guns at the scene.
The shooting took place in one of the city's most violent neighborhoods, where houses and cars are adorned with African, Puerto Rican and American flags.
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Davis, a 56-year-old substance abuse counselor, said the neighborhood in general is safer than it used to be, but he doesn't allow his children to go near the house where the shooting occurred.
Katherine Creag contributed to this report
