Despite a massive deployment of police, two innocent bystanders were killed and two people were injured Monday in a series of shootings during the early morning celebration known as J’ouvert before the annual West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn.

The shootings were a depressing replay of the deadly violence that overshadowed J’ouvert last year, when Carey Gabay, a former aide to Gov. Cuomo, was caught in the crossfire between rival gangs and killed.

The latest gun violence first erupted at 3:45 a.m. Monday, when an 18-year-old male was fatally shot in the chest, and a 72-year-old woman was struck in the arm, on Flatbush Ave. near Empire Blvd., police said. 

"We believe one if not both of those individuals are unintended targets. We did recover some shell casings that leads us to believe there was crossfire," a police official said.

The gunfire touched off pandemonium as people ran for safety. As many as 250,000 people were in the neighborhood for J’ouvert celebrations. "I got almost trampled, I almost got trampled," one woman told NY1 News.

About 30 minutes later and one block away on Empire Boulevard, Tiarah Poyau, 22, was shot in the eye, police said. She was pronounced dead at the hospital. Police said they believe Poyau, a student at St. John’s University, also was an "unintended target."

A third shooting was reported at 6:45 a.m., when two groups of people crossing paths had a verbal dispute which turned physical. An unidentified male stepped out from the crowd and fired one round from a 9-millimeter gun, hitting a 20-year-old man in the leg, police said.

The killings left Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton grasping for answers.

After Gabay’s death, the NYPD spent the better part of a year working with de Blasio’s office and other officials exploring how to make this year’s J’ouvert safer.

The NYPD doubled the number of officers assigned the celebration to 3,400, from 1,700 last year; positioned 45 surveillance cameras in the neighborhood; deployed more than 250 floodlights atop portable towers, and held a "gun buyback" event in which nearly 60 firearms were surrendered, no questions asked. Police also staged a high-profile "gang takedown" on Friday, and asked local clergy and community leaders to counsel gang members against violence.

"We did a lot of measures that you know we had hoped would have a positive influence on this event," said Chief Steve Powers, commanding officer of the Brooklyn South command.

Still, it was not enough.

"We really went all out; unfortunately despite our best efforts, the tragedies ... did occur," Bratton said at a news conference.

"We do not accept what happened last night," the mayor added. "We are fundamentally angry and focused at those who undermine the safety of the many. And As you know, the NYPD will find these individuals and will ensure they are brought to justice."

Asked if it made sense to continue to allow the annual J’ouvert celebration, de Blasio said, "Every idea will be on the table. Every option will be on the table."

But he sounded like he did not favor canceling the extravaganza. "We are going to look at this event, we are going to evaluate everything we learned from last night, and decide what changes we have to make going forward."

Borough President Eric Adams vowed that the celebrations would go on. "There will be calls in the next few days what should be done with this parade, the violence that is associated with it. We need to be clear. New York City and the NYPD does not surrender to violence. Violence surrenders to us," he said.