5 people shot at West Indian American Day Parade, NYPD says

NEW YORK -- Multiple people were shot at New York City's West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn on Monday, police said.

Five people were wounded when a gunman in Crown Heights "fired his weapon numerous times into a crowd," NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said.

Police sources said a 69-year-old woman was shot in the back shoulder, a 64-year-old man was shot in the right arm, a 26-year-old man was shot in the head, a 25-year-old man was wounded in the abdomen and a 16-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to his left arm.

All of the victims were transported to Kings County Hospital and are expected to survive.

The NYPD is still searching for the suspect , who is described as 6-foot with a slim build, and last seen wearing a bandana over his face and a brown shirt splattered with paint. The suspect is believed to be in his 20s.

"This was an intentional act"

The shooting happened at around 1:45 p.m. on a sidewalk near Eastern Parkway between Classon and Franklin avenues.

"This was an intentional act by one person towards a group of people. We do not, by no means, have any active shooter or anything of that nature running around Eastern Parkway as we speak. The parade is going on. It will go on until later on tonight," Chell said.

The parade is a Labor Day tradition in Brooklyn and considered one of the borough's biggest events of the year . It was not disrupted by the shooting.

NYPD credited for quick response

A vendor named Delroy said he jumped behind a parked car and called 911.

"I called and said, 'NYPD, gunshots, Eastern Parkway, right here behind that vehicle,'" Delroy said.

"It was literally 10 feet away from us. Everybody was bobbing. The next thing you know you heard shots and somebody was slumped on the ground," vendor Herb Nelson said.

Parade goers told CBS News New York they won't let the violence overshadow the meaning of the day.

"Enjoying yourself, having a good time. Love each other. Have a good time," one person said.

"The cops handled it really good. They got here really fast," Nelson added.

Anyone with any information on the shooting is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) , or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782 ). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips . All calls are kept confidential.