Man shot, another stabbed, near West Indian Day Parade route in Crown Heights
CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (WABC) -- One man was shot, while another was stabbed, near the West Indian Day Parade Route in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
The shooting happened on Eastern Parkway between Brooklyn and New York avenues around 4:45 p.m. on Monday.
The 22-year-old victim was taken to Kings County Hospital in serious but stable condition with a gunshot wound to his torso. He is expected to survive.
Then just minutes later, a man was stabbed in front of 677 Eastern Parkway. That's along the parade route. It happened just before 5 p.m.
He was taken to Kings County Hospital where he is in stable condition.
"Nobody got killed, a couple of them got hurt, but it was better than last year," a paradegoer said.
And that, this year, will have to do for good news at the West Indian Day Parade. Yes, one man was shot and another stabbed, but last year two men were killed, and four were shot.
The NYPD had 300 more police officers assigned to the parade this year. Bags were checked for alcohol and weapons. Not everyone liked that.
"I understand why they are doing it, but at the same time it kills the vibe," a woman said.
"They just want to make it a little bit safer, no one wants to end it, I don't want to see it go," a man said.
Whether it was last year's violence or this year's police presence, fewer people lined the route Monday.
Some said that compared to years past:
"More pageantry, more pageantry I have to say less guard rails, but you know it was a different world then and you must adapt to the changes," a spectator said.
"Not as many people on the road definitely, the stuff that has happened in the past has kind of marred, but you know we're having a great time," a participant said.
But there was still dancing and so many colorful costumes.
"I had a great time, I love how everybody comes together," a woman said.
Even as the parade ended and the crowd thinned out, police remained on the scene.
So far, there are no suspects and no arrests in either case.
