NYPD’s O’Neill Vows Department Will Find Alleged Shooter

NYPD Police Commissioner James O’Neill said Sunday that the department will find the suspect who opened fire at a Brooklyn block party Saturday night.

“It was not a good night in Brownsville,” O’Neill told reporters. “This is a great event, been going on a long time. I’m sure we’re going to figure out who did this and bring them to justice.”

Reports state that the shooting in the Brooklyn borough happened just before 11 p.m Saturday night at the “Old Timers Day” celebration when a suspect shot a total of 14 people, killing one at the scene. Police identified the deceased victim as Jason Pagan, 38.

Brooklyn community director, Marcus Burchell, 61, said he was standing with police when the shooting took place.

“I saw at least four or five people hit. There was a guy inside the fence. He was face down. He had on a white shirt but they ripped it off. He had several bullet wounds to the torso. He had a wound in the back of the head,” Burchell recalled.

“They flipped him over and I realized that the bullet went through his head,” he added. “One eye was bulging out. They said there was a pulse but he wasn’t going to make it.”

At a press conference Sunday morning, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “This tragedy does not define Brownsville. It doesn’t define the people of Brownsville.”

O’Neill commented that it was not clear whether or not the gunman acted alone. He said at this time, police do not have a suspect.

Police found a firearm left at the scene but have not yet confirmed if it is the weapon used by the suspect during the initial event, the New York Daily News reported.

Reports state that nearly 3,000 people attended the neighborhood party and that more than 100 police officers were assigned to the event.

On Saturday night, de Blasio offered his condolences via Twitter and said the city would do whatever it could to make their communities safer.

“We had a terrible shooting in Brownsville tonight that shattered a peaceful neighborhood event. Our hearts go out to the victims,” he wrote.

“We will do everything in our power to keep this community safe and get guns off our streets.”