Pride was mostly crime-free — with one butt; Man shot in rear near park

BY THE VILLAGE SUN | Updated July 5, 12:30 a.m.: Pride was mostly fun and something to be proud about in Greenwich Village on Sunday — but there were a few incidents, according to police, as well as, sadly, some ugly brawling in Washington Square Park.

Worst of all, early the following morning a man was shot on tony lower Fifth Avenue just steps from the park.

The New York Post posted videos of some disturbing fights in the historic, landmark park — with throngs of onlookers, instead of intervening, screaming and hoisting their phones to record the action so they could post it on social media — or, in this case, perhaps better called “antisocial” media.

Deputy Inspector Jason Zeikel, who calls the Pride March and the whole day surrounding it the annual “Super Bowl” of policing for the 6th Precinct, said things at times admittedly got a bit chippy in the square.

“There were definitely some fights that broke out in the park,” he said. “One person did get cut — the right finger — nobody was stabbed. … We did have an individual who was shot later in the vicinity of Eighth Street and Fifth Avenue…shot in the buttocks.”

Zeikel said the update on the shooting victim’s condition was that he was “doing O.K.”

A Police Department spokesperson also provided details about the incident. He said it occurred at Ninth Street and Fifth Avenue a few minutes after 2 a.m. Responding cops found the victim, a 20-year-old male, with a gunshot wound to the buttocks and a gunshot wound to the right hand. The victim was removed to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.

Asked if there were any other notable incidents during Pride as far as police were concerned, he said no.

However, Channel 7 Eyewitness News reported that a total of 22 people were arrested during Pride and the aftermath, apparently mostly connected with the fighting. Sixteen people received desk appearances and were released while, as of the next day, six others were in custody with charges pending. According to the TV news channel, the shooting occurred as police were clearing out the park and “worked to get a rowdy crowd under control during Pride celebrations. People were seen throwing punches, shoving and dancing on top of cars.” Channel 7 said the shooting occurred at Eighth Street and the victim then staggered to Ninth Street.

Mayor Adams said that, based on police drone images, there were around 15,000 people in the park. He praised police for using a “light touch.”