Violence mars NYC parade

NEW YORK – A shooting a few blocks off the route of the annual West Indian Day Parade, scarred by violence at least twice in the last several years, left two police officers wounded and three people dead Monday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

One officer was hit in the arm and was hospitalized but was expected to recover. Another officer was grazed by a bullet.

At least three other people were hit in the shooting, police said. The fire department said a civilian died at the scene.

The gunshots rang out in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn after the parade. Witnesses said the shooting went on for at least 30 seconds. Resident Thomas Kaminsky said it sounded like machine-gun fire outside his building.

Revelers had filled the streets in colorful costumes. But gun violence shocked the festivities to a stop in spots. Police said four people were shot and wounded earlier along the parade route and a 15-year-old boy was grazed by a bullet.

The parade route was the site of fatal shootings in 2003 and 2005. Police helicopters hovered overhead Monday during the parade, and officers on scooters and on foot patrolled the surrounding blocks.

The annual Labor Day parade celebrates the culture of the Caribbean islands and is one of the city’s largest outdoor events.