2 Young People Shot Dead at J’Ouvert Parade in NYC

Tyreke Borel, 17, and Tiarah Poyau, 22, were shot and killed in the New York City borough of Brooklyn early Monday at the J'Ouvert parade, according to the New York Daily News.

Tyreke, who was studying to be a car mechanic, was shot in the chest at 3:45 a.m. and was said by police to have been sitting on a bench alone.

Poyau, a St. John's University grad, was shot about a half hour later right above her right eye at close range.

The gunman opened fire in a large crowd despite the police officers and floodlights that surrounded the area.

According to the Daily News, two additional people were shot, one of them 72-year-old woman Margaret Peters, who was able to escape.

"I’m very happy to be alive. I thought this year it would be much safer, with the lights on every block and all the police,” said Peters. “But you can’t stop bad from coming out, even with lights on."

“J'Ouvert” means "daybreak" and precedes the New York Caribbean Parade, although they are not affiliated. Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the actions of the gunmen did not represent Brooklyn's Caribbean community.

Read more at the New York Daily News.