6-year-old boy, his mother, and 3 others shot at street festival in Brooklyn

A 6-year-old boy and his mother were among the five people shot during a Caribbean holiday street celebration in Brooklyn, New York.

The mother and the child were exiting a cab shortly before 3 a.m. Monday when shots rang out and they were struck, police said. The police believed the attack was gang-related, but had not determined who was being targeted.

The boy was shot in the leg and hospitalized, and he is expected to recover from the gun wound. The other victims were also treated at Kings County Hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening.

J'ouvert is a traditional street party brought over to the United States by immigrants from the Caribbean islands. The celebration was supposed to be virtual this year over the coronavirus pandemic concerns, but hundreds showed up anyway to celebrate.

Police apprehended two suspects — a 15-year-old and a 21-year-old — and recovered two guns at the scene of the crime, WCBS-TV reported.

Terence Monahan, the NYPD's chief of department, indicated in a tweet that the investigation into the incident was ongoing, and police encouraged the public to contact them with any information that might be useful.

"People did take advantage of this historic event, and were out here engaging and having a good time," said Rodney Harrison, the NYPD chief of detectives.

"I'm sure you can understand that the 6-year-old was not the intended target," he added, "but we're still trying to find out exactly what happened."

WCBS-TV obtained surveillance video showing partygoers ducking for cover and running frantically after the shots rang out.

One woman told WCBS that she witnessed the shooting.

"Only reason she was over here was because her daughter wasn't answering the phone. After she spoke to her daughter, they were walking right here, and that's when three shots went off," she said.

"I saw the little boy on the floor full of blood, and I ran," she added.

The NYPD told WCBS that there had been 17 shootings with 17 victims over the weekend. Three of those victims died from their gunshot injuries.