A gang member has been charged with murder following an attempted shooting during the West Indian American Day parade on Monday. Dashawn Fleming, 31, reportedly has ties to the Nine Trey Gangsters and was arrested after a shooting incident before 7 PM on Nostrand Avenue and Sterling Street, which resulted in injuries to two men.
According to police, a 53-year-old man suffered fatal gunshot wounds to his neck and right leg, while another victim, a 40-year-old man, was injured in his right ankle. Both were taken to the hospital and are currently in stable condition.
Fleming, from Cypress Hills, was captured at the scene as he attempted to flee, according to law enforcement sources. He faces charges of attempted murder and assault. Officers also recovered a firearm and four shell casings at the location.
The reason behind the shooting remains unclear, as investigations are ongoing.
Later that evening, a 14-year-old boy was shot on Rochester Avenue and Eastern Parkway around 9:40 PM. He reported hearing the shot before experiencing pain and was taken to Maimonides Medical Center, where he is stable.
Witness accounts suggest the chaos began around 5:35 PM, following the final float of the parade, as city sanitation crews started their cleanup.
In another incident near Utica Avenue, a 26-year-old man was shot in the leg, and a 42-year-old woman was grazed by a bullet during gunfire that broke out along the parade route. Both victims were taken to Kings County Hospital Center and are stable. The male victim, linked to the Brims Gang, was reportedly uncooperative with police, and the motives for the violence remain unclear.
Just before 7 PM, two more men—a 26-year-old and a 21-year-old—were shot at Eastern Parkway near Kraston Avenue. The circumstances around this shooting, including an elderly man crashing at the scene, are still under investigation.
Later, around 10 PM, a 30-year-old man was stabbed and slashed as he was outside an apartment building on Lincoln Place, not far from the earlier parade route. It was noted that he approached some individuals after hearing a disturbance nearby. Diante Straker was arrested in connection with this incident and is facing assault charges, while the victim was reported stable at Brookdale Hospital.
Earlier that day, as the celebrations for J’ouvert wrapped up, a neighboring resident reported her windows being shattered by stray bullets, fortunately with no injuries. Sources indicated that one shell casing was found on the roof of her building.
This year saw an increased police presence at the festivals, a response to past violence, including the tragic death of a Cuomo aide during J’ouvert in 2015 from gang-related gunfire. A spokesperson for the NYPD mentioned that thousands of officers were deployed for the parade, with over 2,500 assigned to other areas of the city.
Parade attendees underwent thorough security screenings, including handheld metal detectors, as they passed through thirteen security checkpoints along Empire Boulevard and Nostrand Avenue. Additionally, barricades along the parade route were doubled this year to enhance safety.
