As the search for the suspect for the West Indian American Day Parade shooting continues, violence interrupters are working with the city to squash any further conflict.

“There’s definitely going to be, or could be, a possible retaliation,” Gilford Monrose of the city’s Office of Faith-based and Community Partnerships, said.


What You Need To Know

  • As the search for the suspect for the West Indian American Day Parade continues, violence interrupters are working with the city to squash any further conflict

  • A shooter killed 25-year-old Denzil Chan, of Spring, Texas, and injured four others during the parade Monday, according to officials

  • The NYPD is asking for the public’s help in finding the suspect

A shooter killed 25-year-old Denzil Chan, of Spring, Texas, and injured four others during the parade Monday, according to officials.

Monrose works with Pastor Louis Straker, who leads the nonprofit group called God Squad.

“Unfortunately, no matter how many police you put on the street, no matter how many resources, you have things like this happen,” Staker said.

The city said officers confiscated 10 guns along the parade route.

The group of violence interrupters also had boots on the ground and worked to ease tensions.

“You had the God Squad, you had so many other nonprofit organizations, volunteers, even elected officials, who are in real time identifying where the temperature may have been turned up,” Mayor Eric Adams’ Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack said.

“God only knows how many situations we actually stopped because of our presence on the ground,” Straker said.

As the search for the suspect continues, their work to stop further fallout begins.

“We cannot let the community get off the hook as well. We have to understand that some people are making it worse for the people who just want to come and have a good time,” Monrose said.

The NYPD is asking for the public’s help in finding the suspect.

Anyone with information is asked to reach out to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.