Gunfire erupted today near the massive West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn — not far from Mayor Bloomberg was marching — as the entire city reeled from a epidemic of shootings over the past two days.

By noon today, a total of 39 people had been shot in the city since Saturday morning, authorities said.

At just before noon, a gunman fired into the air several blocks away from the start of the West Indian Day Parade route in Crown Heights — not hitting anyone — before hopping into a cab and fleeing.

Bloomberg, who has decried the recent spate of gun violence, had just started marching.

Witnesses said the unidentified gunman got out of the car at E. 94th and Winthrop streets, and then ran off after tossing his gun. Cops caught him down the street after Macing him.

The frightening incident came as people around New York City continued being shot in a frenzy that began early Saturday morning.

Twenty five people had been shot as of 6 a.m. Sunday — including three kids at a house party-turned-shooting gallery in The Bronx early Sunday.

By early Monday morning, seven more people were shot in four separate incidents in Brooklyn — one of them fatally.

By noon, another seven people had been shot — bringing the shocking toll to 39 people injured by gunfire since Saturday morning.

As YWN publishes this article at 5:00PM , there has been two other shooting incidents – one of them at the parade. The first shooting was on President Street and Franklin Avenue, with a person shot in the leg. The shooting at the parade was on Eastern Parkway and Rogers Avenue, with a person shot in the leg.

UPDATE From NBC New York 6:15PM EST: Three men shot in broad daylight along a parade route in Brooklyn Monday were among more than 40 injured by gunfire during a Labor Day weekend of violence.

Police say  two men were shot–one in the leg, and one in the stomach– along the West Indian Day Parade on Eastern Parkway. Police chased the suspect, who fled on foot. The suspect remains at large.
 
A third victim was shot in the leg later in the afternoon
 
Both victims were brought to Kings County Hospital.
 
Since Saturday morning, there have been 42 people shot in the city, with one fatality.

UPDATE 11:00PM EST: The amount of people shot has been raised to 46 following additional incidents.

(Source: NY Post)