A 19-year-old Brooklyn man, Nayshawn Wilkinson, is facing significantly higher bail after his arrest for allegedly shooting a 24-year-old man during the West Indian Day Parade on Labor Day. This comes just weeks after he was released on much lower bail for a separate shooting incident.
Wilkinson was ordered held on $500,000 cash bail or a $1 million bond on Wednesday. This follows an incident on Monday where he is accused of firing a weapon along the parade route on Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights. The victim was struck in the buttocks and taken to Kings County Hospital in stable condition. The firearm was reportedly disguised with Skittles wrappers.
In July, Wilkinson was arrested for allegedly shooting a 15-year-old boy at a playground. During that case, Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Janice Robinson reportedly did not hold Wilkinson without bail, as prosecutors requested. Instead, the judge set bail at $5,000 cash or a $10,000 bond, which Wilkinson posted days later. He was due back in court for that July incident on Tuesday but was already in custody on the new charge.
On Wednesday, Brooklyn Judge Masateru Marubashi set the substantial bail for the Labor Day shooting. Prosecutors had again requested no bail, but the judge inquired about their acceptable bail range and set it accordingly.
According to reports, Wilkinson is one of eight individuals shot or stabbed during the Labor Day parade. A law enforcement source expressed frustration, stating that the situation demonstrates the consequences of releasing individuals accused of violent crimes back into the community.