Carey Gabay, Andrew Cuomo's Lawyer, Was Shot

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's First Deputy Counsel, Carey Gabay, was shot in what the governor called a "random event" early Monday morning in Brooklyn, New York, according to ABC News. Cuomo announced the news with a post and statement on Facebook Monday afternoon. Gabay, 43, was apparently walking with his brother around 3:45 a.m. when the two walked by an argument where shots were fired. The shooting was among a few violent events that broke out before the annual J'Ouvert Festival, leaving one dead and four wounded, including Gabay, according to ABC7.

Gabay was shot on Bedford Avenue near the intersection of Montgomery Street in Flatbush, according to ABC7. The police said they do not have any suspects in custody, but that it appears Gabay was an "unintended target" of the incident, according to Newsday. In his Facebook statement, Cuomo said Gabay is in critical condition at Kings County Hospital. The New York Daily News reported that Gabay was on life support Monday afternoon.

Cuomo said Gabay is the first deputy general counsel at Empire State Development. Prior to that, he was an assistant counsel to the governor. Cuomo described Gabay as an "outstanding public servant" who has been with the administration since 2011, according to his Facebook post:

He is a Harvard-educated lawyer who works for the State because he wants to give back to others and make a difference. He is just 43 years old and is a kind-hearted man. Carey is a friend to all who have the pleasure of meeting him. I ask that New Yorkers join us by keeping him, his wife Trenelle and his family in their prayers at this time.

Both in his Facebook post and when he spoke to Eyewitness News just before the start of the annual J'Ouvert Festival, a march that precedes the annual West Indian parade held in Brooklyn, Cuomo said this incident is only the latest in a string of senseless gun violence that the country has to take steps to address, according to ABC7.

We have to commit ourselves to justice in partnership with the police and in partnership with one another, that the crime, the violence on those streets stop, because enough young people have died. Enough innocent people have died. And it has to stop and it has to stop now.

Cuomo said Gabay grew up in public housing in the Bronx and later went on to receive both a bachelor's degree and a law degree from Harvard University, according to Newsday. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said "our hearts are very heavy right now" and also urged better legislation for gun control. Cuomo appeared deeply troubled by the incident before Monday's festivities began. He told ABC7 that Gabay's wife is pregnant with their first child, according to the New York Daily News:

I was just with the family, and the tears and the frustration. And I'm governor of the state of New York, and there's nothing I can say. And there's nothing I can do. And sometimes it just hurts.