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Shootings reported near New York's holiday parade route

01 September 2014 21:21 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Multiple shootings, one of them deadly, were reported early Monday near the route for one of the city's biggest outdoor events, the West Indian Day Parade, police said, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

A 55-year-old man was shot to death in Brooklyn's Crown Heights, and a suspect was in custody, with charges pending, local media quoted police as saying.

The police said it was one of several shootings reported in the vicinity before the parade started, adding that they are still gathering details on the others.

The West Indian Day Parade echoes traditional pre-Lenten Carnival festivities and features dancers wearing elaborate, often feathered costumes.

For all the festivity, the parade weekend also has been scarred in recent years by violence nearby. Last year, two people were fatally stabbed at the parade, and a man was shot to death in 2011.

While year-to-year crime in the city is down, there has been an uptick in shootings in some neighborhoods in recent weeks.

Last weekend, a wave of violence in three boroughs left at least 10 shootings, the New York Post reported.