Image copyright AP Image caption The fatality happened at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn

Violence before the West Indian Day Parade in New York has left one man dead and a top aide to the state governor fighting for his life.

Carey Gabay, a lawyer working for Governor Andrew Cuomo, was caught in crossfire at a pre-parade event early on Monday.

A 24-year-old man was also shot and killed in a different Brooklyn neighbourhood in a separate incident.

Last year, a man was killed and several wounded near the parade.

This time the violence erupted at the J'Ouvert march, a pre-parade celebration which starts before dawn.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Mr Cuomo joined the festivities hours after the shootings.

At 03:40 local time (08:40 GMT), the 43-year-old Mr Gabay, first deputy counsel to the governor, was struck in the head by a bullet as he walked down the street with his brother. He was in a critical condition.

Mr Cuomo described him as a beautiful man who was giving back to his community. Mr Gabay's wife is expecting their first child.

"I'm the governor of the state of New York, and there's not a thing I can do," Mr Cuomo told reporters after visiting his employee at Kings County Hospital.

"There's not a thing I can say, and there's nothing I can do. And sometimes it just hurts."

No arrests have made been, police said.

The main parade itself went ahead on Monday, attended by thousands including Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose wife Chirlane McCray is of Caribbean descent.