A man opened fire wounding a person on Sunday along the route of the bustling Dominican Parade in the Bronx (NYC), which had been inaugurated by Mayor Eric Adams hours before.
The victim was shot in the arm near the Grand Concourse and Eliot Place shortly before 5 pm on Sunday, while the parade was still moving forward, police sources said.
The wounded man entered the BronxCare Health System Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition Sunday night, reported New York Post.
A New York police spokeswoman said yesterday that it was unclear whether the man who entered to the hospital was injured along the parade route, but confirmed that shots were fired in the area.
The violence occurred when Dominicans from all over the city gathered in the Bronx to celebrate their country’s culture Caribbean, which represents the largest immigrant colony in NYC. The annual parade had been canceled the previous two years due to the pandemic.
Flag-waving spectators lined the Grand Concourse as colorful floats and dancers marched down the street throughout the afternoon and Latin music it filled the air for much of the day before the shots rang out.
When the bullets were fired, people ran for their lives, according to a resident who witnessed the aftermath. Police recovered a weapon at the scene. NYPD sources initially said a suspect had been taken into custody, but no related charges were filed against anyone Monday.
On Sunday, Mayor Adams led the start of the parade together with his Commissioner of Transportation (DOT), the Dominican Ydanis Rodríguez, as he advanced through the Grand Concourse from the Mount Hope neighborhood of the Bronx. The parade has been a tradition for decades in NYC, which has the largest concentration of Dominicans outside of their country.
No arrests have been made. Anyone with information should call 1-888-577-TIPS (8477) and in Spanish 1- 888–CLUE (74782). Also through crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or by text message to 274637 (CRIMES), followed by TIP577. All communications are strictly confidential.