A man was shot and hospitalized after a violent fight broke out at Washington Square Park during the Pride Parade.
The victim, a 20-year-old man, is recovering and in stable condition after he was shot in the buttocks and right hand, the New York Police Department told USA TODAY.
He was shot at around 2 a.m., early Monday morning, hours after fights broke out at Washington Square Park, the public park in the Greenwich Village of Lower Manhattan, New York City. According to local outlets and social media reports, people were gathering in the park for Pride celebrations, but NYPD said there was no Pride event happening when the fights occurred.
It is not confirmed if the shooting was related to the fights.
In total, 22 people were arrested during the event, NYPD said
Videos of the fights are circulating online the jaw-dropping scenes show large groups of partygoers engaged in fist-fights and hair-pulling battles as they tackled each other to the ground.
In them, multiple fights happen in the middle of a large crowd. Some people are holding Pride flags and wearing Pride gear.
“This is crazy, Pride is not supposed to be like this,” a witness told ABC7. “We’re supposed to come out and enjoy and you know just love one another and come together. And we hope moving forward there will be no more violence and craziness going on.”
Crowds gathered around to watch the chaos unfold, while others pulled out their phones to record the Lower Manhattan showdowns.
