NEW YORK, New York – New York State Senator Zellnor Y. Myrie on Wednesday joined elected colleagues and gun violence prevention advocates in unveiling legislation in the wake of the Labor Day, September 2 shooting at the West Indian Day Carnival Parade on Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway.
New York State Senator Zellnor Y. MyrieThe New York Police Department (NYPD) said one man died after an unidentified gunman opened fire on spectators almost at the end of the 57th Annual West Indian American Day Carnival Parade.
The NYPD said at least five people were shot and wounded at Classon Avenue and Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn.
The NYPD said 25-year-old Denzel Chan, of Texas, died at the Kings County Hospital in the heart of the Caribbean community in Brooklyn after being shot in the stomach by the assailant, who remains at large.
Myrie, who traces his roots to Jamaica, held a press conference on Wednesday, with elected officials and anti-gun advocates, at the corner of Eastern Parkway and Franklin Avenue in Brooklyn.
“On a day that should have been about celebrating Caribbean heritage and uplifting our culture, an individual chose to inflict pain and violence on a community that already sees too much of both,” said Myrie, who represents the 20th State Senate District in Brooklyn. “These bills will strengthen New York’s commitment to addressing the scourge of gun violence by creating a uniform standard for responding to incidents like this one, and ensuring that the State has the infrastructure needed to prevent them.
“We know that gun violence is an ever-present crisis in Central Brooklyn, and that far too many incidents remain unsolved,” added Myrie, who has declared his intention to run for Mayor of the City of New York. “This community needs an immediate influx of resources to address our short- and long- term public safety needs. I am grateful to my colleagues and advocacy partners for standing with us today.”
The two new bills that were unveilED at the press conference are S.9904 and S.9905. The former would expand the State’s legal definition of “mass shooting” to include any incident in which four or more people are injured or killed with a firearm.
Myrie said the current definition in State law applies only to incidents in which four or more people are killed.
He said S.9904 would create a uniform standard for evaluating when and how State resources should be deployed following a mass shooting.
He added that S.9905 would formally create the State’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP), transfer its existing operations to the Division of Criminal Justice Services, and establish its statutory duties and composition.
Currently, Myrie said OGVP exists solely by a series of executive orders first issued in 2021 and extended most recently as this year.
He noted that OGVP currently sits within the Department of Health and has no mandates or responsibilities established by State law.
In addition, Myrie spearheaded a joint letter on September 5 to Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul asking for a surge of resources to address short- and long- term needs “as the community seeks to heal” from the Labor Day mass shooting.
The requested resources include support for local social service providers, longer operating hours for nearby schools and nonprofits and mental health support services, along with greater NYPD presence, where appropriate, given the potential for escalation and retaliation.
To date, Myrie said neither the mayor nor the governor have responded to the letter.
“My prayers go out to all impacted by the unfortunate shooting on Labor Day, Sept. 2, which left five people shot, leaving four wounded and one fatality of 25-year-old Denzil Chan, my constituent who was a resident of Flatbush Gardens, and succumbed to his injuries,” said Bill co-sponsor Assembly Member Monique Chandler-Waterman, representative for the 58th Assembly District in Brooklyn.
“Our community demands more comprehensive conversations about public safety that discuss the implementation of real-time wrap-around services, including safe places for our community members, community centers, mental health support and policies,” added the daughter of Jamaican and Barbadian immigrants, who co-chairs the Anti-Gun Violence Subcommittee of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican Hispanic, Asian Caucus.
Chandler-Waterman said she has worked “lock in step” with her in-district Assembly District 58 Public Safety Taskforce, local and national anti-violence groups like New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, impacted families and communities by sponsoring legislation A10720, along with Myrie to re-define mass shootings as four or more injured or murdered in one shooting incident “to activate needed resources.”
“We must also ensure that the New York State Office of Gun Violence Prevention can get the tools and be able to support our groups on the ground with real-time wrap-around resources and technical assistance,” she said. “Our collective legislative efforts are just a start to the holistic response measures required to truly heal our communities.”
