NEW YORK (WABC) -- Violence erupted at the start of the J'ouvert celebration in Brooklyn Monday morning, leaving two people dead and four others injured.
Shots were fired at three locations, beginning at 3:49 a.m. at Empire Boulevard and Flatbush Avenue.
A man, between ages 18 to 20 year old, was shot in the chest. He died at Kings County Hospital.
A 72-year-old woman was shot in the arm. She is in stable condition at Kings County Hospital.
A 66-year-old woman was injured fleeing the scene. She was initially thought to have been shot.
The second shooting happened at 4:14 a.m. at Empire Boulevard and Washington Avenue, where a 22-year-old woman was shot in the left eye. She died at Kings County Hospital.
Then, at 6:47 a.m. at Rodgers and Clarkson Avenues, a 20-year-old man was shot in the buttocks. He is in stable condition at Kings County Hospital.
Additionally, a 23-year-old woman was stabbed at Ocean Avenue and Empire Boulevard shortly before 5 a.m. She refused medical attention.
No arrests have been made in any of these incidents.
Police were responding to the shootings, and trying to keep the thousands of moving J'Ouvert participants away from the crime scenes.
Police initially appeared to outnumber revelers at the start of the march in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens and Crown Heights.
There have been complaints for years about safety at J'ouvert, a carnival celebrating Caribbean culture held before dawn each Labor Day on the streets of Brooklyn.
But after an aide to New York's governor was killed by a stray bullet at last year's party, authorities were taking unprecedented precautions.
Traditionally held largely in the dark, this year's celebration was being illuminated by 200 light towers.
Police doubled the number of officers patrolling the neighborhood where a procession of steel drums and costumed revelers kicked off at 4 a.m.
#now NYC enjoy tonight's J'ouvert celebration we have your backs pic.twitter.com/5O2bIvVIDY— NYPDBrooklynNorth (@NYPDBklynNorth) September 5, 2016
The department also added 42 new security cameras to watch over an estimated 250,000 revelers. For the first time, organizers of the parade were required to get a permit.
Police, in conjunction with community groups, also distributed fliers with a blunt message.
"This community will no longer tolerate this violence. Do not shoot anyone. Do not stab anyone," the leaflets said.
The changes come a year after Carey Gabay, a 43-year-old lawyer who had worked for Gov. Andrew Cuomo and was deputy counsel of the state's economic development agency, was shot in the head as two street gangs exchanged gunshots during J'ouvert festivities.
Earlier the same morning, a Bronx man, Denentro Josiah, was stabbed to death during festivities.
In 2014, a man was fatally shot and two people wounded during the celebration.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
via ABC7NY.
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