NEW YORK (Reuters) - A man reportedly identified as an aide to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was shot in the head and critically injured after gunfire erupted in the pre-dawn hours on Monday before the West Indian Day parade in Brooklyn, police said.

The 43-year-old man was the "unintended target" of the shooting, which took place at 3:41 a.m. at 1680 Bedford Avenue, said a spokeswoman for the New York Police Department.

Police declined to identify the man, and said there other shootings and stabbings in the area early Monday.

Cuomo's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The man was rushed to Kings County hospital, where he was in critical condition, police said.

WABC-TV and the New York Post identified the victim as Carey Gabay, a Harvard-educated lawyer who works as a first deputy counsel for the governor.

The shooting reportedly took place during the J'Ouvert march, a celebration which starts at 4 a.m. and precedes the annual West Indian Day parade, which has been plagued by violence in past years.







(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Nick Zieminski)