Shootings reported near route for NYC's West Indian Day Parade just hours before its start

FILE - In this Sept. 2, 2013, file photo, dressed in costume, Kelva Joseph makes her way along Eastern Parkway in the Brooklyn borough of New York during the West Indian Day Parade. The annual parade is set for Monday, Sept. 1, 2014, in Brooklyn. It echoes traditional pre-Lenten Carnival festivities and features dancers wearing elaborate, often feathered costumes. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg, File) (The Associated Press)

FILE - In this Monday, Sept. 2, 2013, file photo, Bill de Blasio, foreground second from right, dances with his family as he makes his way along Eastern Parkway in the Brooklyn borough of New York during the West Indian Day Parade. The annual parade is set for Monday, Sept. 1, 2014, in Brooklyn. It echoes traditional pre-Lenten Carnival festivities and features dancers wearing elaborate, often feathered costumes. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg, File) (The Associated Press)

NEW YORK – Several shootings have been reported near the route of New York City's West Indian Day Parade just hours before its start.

The New York Police Department says a 55-year-old man was shot and killed at 3:30 a.m. Monday in Brooklyn's Crown Heights. A suspect is in custody.

Police say they're still gathering information about other shootings in the vicinity.

The parade has been scarred in recent years by violence nearby. Police are taking steps to keep the event safe, including keeping tabs on any gang activity

The parade is one of the year's biggest outdoor events — and political see-and-be-seen spots. It's set to start at 11 a.m.

The parade is a prime place for officeholders and candidates to greet the public the week before Primary Day.