NEW YORK, Sept 3, (AP):  Five people were shot Monday at New York City’s West Indian American Day Parade, police said. It's the latest instance of violence marring one of the world’s largest annual celebrations of Caribbean culture. A gunman targeting a specific group of people opened fire along the parade route in Brooklyn around 2:35 p.m., NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said.

The parade had kicked off hours earlier, with thousands of revelers dancing and marching down Eastern Parkway, a main thoroughfare through the borough. It was expected to continue into the night. Two people were critically wounded, Chell said. The three other victims are expected to survive their injuries, he said. The gunman fled.

"This was not random,” Chell said. "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 and will go on until later on tonight.” An Associated Press videographer who was nearby when the shots rang out saw at least two people being treated next for what appeared to be wounds to the face and arm.

Police cordoned off an area adjacent to the parade route, where they had placed crime scene markers. The parade continued flowing past as officers were seen bagging items. Chell asked that bystanders provide police with any video footage they may have recorded of the shooting. "We need that video,” Chell said. "We are going to solve this, but it’s going to take a lot of work.” Some people attending the parade were shaken by the violence.