Despite a shooting along the West Indian American Day Parade route that killed a 25-year-old man and injured four other people, Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that the celebration was a success from a security standpoint.

"You remove that one shooter who shot five people, you have a parade that probably never witnessed that level of safety that we saw before," Adams said.

He defended the NYPD's handling of the parade and the day-break celebration, J'Ouvert — celebrations of Caribbean culture that has been marred in prior years by violence.

"Yes, the parade has had a history of violent encounters, but we can't say that about this weekend," Adams said. "J'Ouvert was one of the safest we've ever witnessed. We would have had the same with this parade if we didn't have this nut job that shot five people."

City officials worked closely with community groups and the NYPD used new security tactics, like drones and checkpoints where police officer used wands on paradegoers. Meanwhile, J'Ouvert no longer starts overnight, but at 6 a.m., with more street barriers and floodlights.

Before the partying got underway during J'Ourvert, 25 illegal guns were taken off the streets. The NYPD confiscated another 10 guns on the parade route itself.

"No telling how many shootings we prevented," Adams said.

The security and policing needs for the parade are unique because over one million people come to Brooklyn for the weekend-long celebrations in dense residential neighborhoods, says Felipe Rodriguez, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice with three decades policing experience.

"It's one of the hardest parades to police," Rodriguez said. "For us to think we can actually remove all the firearms from that area, it would be near impossible."

Rodriguez said it's still a more secure celebration than the days when he patrolled the parade in the 1980s.

"We would see horrific, violent acts, not only on the parade route but on the perimeters. There would be constant stabbings, shootings,"  Rodriguez said. "The mayor has done a decent job and the NYPD has done a decent job to put a handle on it."