BK Pols Back New Bills In Response To West Indian Parade Shooting

BROOKLYN, NY —Several Brooklyn legislators and gun violence prevention advocates met on Wednesday morning to introduce two new bills in response to the Sept. 2 shooting at the West Indian Day Parade in Crown Heights.

More than two weeks after the incident — in which a gunman opened fire on the parade, killing one and injuring four others — no suspects have been identified, and the case remains unsolved.

The two new bills include S.9904, which, if passed, would expand the legal definition of "mass shooting" in New York to include any incident in which four or more people are injured or killed by a firearm, creating a uniform standard for deploying state resources.

The second bill, S.9905, would formally establish the Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the Division of Criminal Justice Services, transferring its existing operations and defining its duties, if passed. Currently, the office currently exists only through executive orders, the legislators said.

Brooklyn officials, including Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, and Councilmember Crystal Hudson, were among the legislators backing the new bills, which are sponsored by Brooklyn State Sen. Zellnor Myrie.

"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," Myrie, who is running for mayor in 2025, said.

Currently, both bills are in the Senate committee, and are waiting to go to the floor, where they will be voted on.