GLOBE

Bad weather shuts down concerts, delays US flights Shootings near NYC West Indian parade route

New York: Severe thunderstorms across the US Northeast on Sunday slowed operations at airports, wreaked havoc at outdoor sporting and musical events and sent people scurrying from a beach after three men were struck by lightning. The men were injured at Orchard Beach on Pelham Bay in the Bronx on Sunday evening as bad storms rolled through the area, the Fire Department of New York said.

The men were being treated at a hospital, and the extent of their injuries was unknown. Torrential raininterrupted major events in Philadelphia. New York: Hours before the West Indian Day Parade stepped off on Monday, the police reported multiple shootings, one of them deadly, near the route for the political see- and- be- seen event, which has been scarred by violence in recent years. The police said they were taking steps to ensure the parade remains safe this year, including keeping tabs on any gang activity.

A 55- year- old man was shot to death at 3: 30 am in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights, according to the police. A suspect was in custody; charges were pending.

It was one of several shootings reported in the vicinity before the 11 am parade start, the police said. They are still gathering details on the others. Last year, two people were fatally stabbed at the parade, and a man was shot to death in 2011.

The parade celebrates Caribbean culture and echoes traditional pre- Lenten Carnival festivities, with dancers wearing elaborate, feathered costumes. The event also provides one of the last big stages before New York’s Sept. 9 primary elections.