New York City, NYPD sued by Hempstead woman whose son was shot during West Indian Day Parade

A Long Island woman has filed a lawsuit against New York City, the NYPD and the West Indian American Day Carnival Association following a shooting last year during the West Indian Day Parade that injured her son.

Gail Mincy, of Hempstead, filed the lawsuit on behalf of her son, identified in the lawsuit only as a minor and a resident of Nassau County, alleging that the city, the police and organizers failed to take proper security measures during an event that has had a history of violence that resulted in deaths.

The suit was filed Feb. 18 in Kings County Supreme Court in Brooklyn. It seeks unspecified damages or a default judgment of $5 million with interest over the Sept. 2, 2024, shooting.

Five people were shot during the 2024 parade, including a 25-year-old Texas man who died from his injuries, the NYPD has said. Police said last year that the victims ranged in age from 16 to 69 years old.

The lawsuit said Mincy was at the parade with her son on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn between Franklin and Classon avenues when her son suffered a bullet wound, "sustaining severe and permanent personal injuries."

The shooting was reported at about 2:30 p.m. when police said an unknown gunman targeted a group of people along the parade route. 

Mincy’s Farmingdale attorney, Joseph Mure, declined to comment Tuesday. The New York City Law Department declined to comment. Police and parade organizers could not be reached for comment.

The complaint says the city failed "to provide adequate and sufficient security" during the parade and to use proper video surveillance to fight crime there.

The suit also accuses the city and organizers of "failing to respond to repeated violent attacks upon attendees of the parade" or "to take precautions to protect attendees from foreseeable criminal conduct; in failing to have proper security in a known crime-ridden area ... and allowing dangerous and violent conditions to remain at said parade for a long period of time."

The parade is held as part of the J’Ouvert and West Indian American Day Carnival each year on Labor Day. Events surrounding it have a history of being marred by violence.

Police have said they have enhanced security following past violent events, including the death of Carey Gabay, an aide to then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. He was shot in the head during crossfire between rival gangs in 2015 during early morning festivities before the parade.

Before the parade last year, police pointed to efforts they said had reduced violence, including by increasing the presence of uniformed officers, using drones to survey the area and managing checkpoints.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.