Man fatally shot at West Indian Day parade identified: sources

CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (PIX11) — The man who was fatally shot at the West Indian Day Parade on Monday has been identified as 25-year-old Denzel Chan, according to law enforcement sources.

Chan, a Texas resident, was shot in the abdomen when gunfire erupted near Franklin Avenue and Eastern Parkway at around 2:30 p.m., according to the sources and the NYPD. Chan was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved.

A 69-year-old woman, a 16-year-old boy, and two other men, ages 36 and 64, were also wounded in the shooting along the parade route, police said. The 36-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the head, police said.

“I ducked and covered,” a parade attendee told PIX11 News. “There was two people laying on the floor, a gentleman had a wound in his head. I was close to death today.”

The shooting is believed to have been targeted but the motive was unclear, police said. Sources said the incident was likely gang-related.

The suspect is believed to be in his 20s and was wearing a bandana and a brown shirt. There have been no arrests, as of Tuesday morning.

Officials said that nearly 1 million people attended the parade. The parade’s rich history has been marred by violence in the past, but the increased police presence has helped over the past few years, business owners told PIX11 News.

“We don’t surrender to crime. We won’t stop the Thanksgiving parade if something happens,” Mayor Eric Adams said on Tuesday.

Adams said there have been 74 shootings in August, the lowest in city history.

Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org , downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.

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