Five people were shot at the West Indian American Day festival parade in Brooklyn, New York, on Monday when a man opened fire into the crowd. Two of the victims are in critical condition.

“One person intentionally going after a group of people tried to ruin the day for everybody, and we’re not going to let that happen,” NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said during a news conference following the shooting, reports Fox News Digital.

Chell reported that four of the victims are men and one is a woman. While two are in critical condition, the other three are expected to survive. He clarified that there was no active shooter situation and that the parade would continue as planned.

JUST IN: At least five people have been shot at the West Indian Day parade in New York City

The shooter was described as a black male in his 20s, and is still on the run

Two people are in critical condition; three are expected to survive

Four men and one woman were shot; one… pic.twitter.com/2qM5UiqZUR

— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) September 2, 2024

“We have multiple cops working very hard this weekend, very hard today to keep this community and to keep this parade safe, and we’ll be out here until the wee hours of the morning doing just that. Working hard, keeping this community safe,” Chell stated.

The suspect is still at large, and police are actively searching for him. Chell described the suspect as a Black man in his 20s with a slim build, wearing a black shirt with paint stains and a black bandanna.

He further noted that the shooting appeared to be “not random,” but the motive remains unknown.

Thousands of attendees lined the parade route on Monday to celebrate “Caribbean heritage and culture,” according to city officials.

Five people shot in a mass shooting during the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn, New York on September 2, 2024. Gunshots were fired at 307 Eastern Parkway at 2:35 p.m., the NYPD said. Four males and one female were wounded in the shooting. Two of the injured are in serious… pic.twitter.com/ngZqnDpuBv

— Kyle Mazza (@KyleMazzaWUNF) September 2, 2024

“I’m crying over this, it’s so terrible. How can someone have the heart to fire a gun around so many people — babies, children, the elderly,” said witness Jalissa Bailey to the New York Post.

“I know this parade has a history of violence, but things have been peaceful in recent years, and we got to hoping that there was enough security in place that maybe that was over with,” she added.