The shooter, suspected of having opened fire, is on the run and the festivities have been suspended in Highland Park, a wealthy town north of Chicago, and in several surrounding towns, according to the police.
Washington Correspondent
Six people were killed and around 30 others injured in a shooting during the July 4 parade in Highland Park, an affluent suburb north of Chicago. On Monday morning, crowds had gathered on the sidewalks of Central Street, the main street of Highland Park, to watch the traditional American National Day parade. A sniper posted on a roof opened fire a few minutes after the start of the parade.
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The noise of the first shots was drowned out by the brass band, or confused with that of the fireworks, before panic seized the crowd. Spectators and parade participants fled, leaving sidewalks littered with folding chairs, strollers and toys. Witnesses said they heard several rounds of gunfire in quick succession, suggesting the shooter used a semi-automatic weapon. Police found a rifle where the sniper was hiding, a rooftop above a sports equipment store, but the suspect was still on the run as of late afternoon.
“Terror»
Lake County Police Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli told a news conference that the shooter was still to be considered armed and dangerous. ” We ask everyone to stay indoors, he said. Stay vigilant! “At the same time as the alert to the” shooter in action“, a search notice has been launched. The suspect was identified by police as Robert, known as “Bobby” E. Crimo III, a 22-year-old white male“originating in the region”,slender, with long black hair and wearing a white or blue t-shirt. He reportedly drives a silver colored 2010 Honda Fit with Illinois registration number DM80653. The FBI is appealing for witnesses, asking anyone with video of the shooting or any information about the shooter to contact police.
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A journalist fromChicago Sun-Times, the local newspaper, present at the scene just after the shooting, saw blankets covering three bloodied bodies. Of the six people killed, five died on the spot, and a sixth died after arriving at the hospital. Twenty-six injured people were taken to Highland Park Hospital and five to nearby Evanston Hospital. The majority suffered gunshot wounds, but some people in hospital were reportedly injured in the stampede and panic following the shooting.
“This morning at 10:14 a.m. our community was terrorized by an act of violence that touched us deeply, said Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims at this terrible time. We came together today to celebrate brotherhood and freedom, but instead we are mourning the tragic loss of life and dealing with the terror that has been inflicted upon us.“.
Illinois Democratic Governor Jay Pritzker called on his constituents “to pray for the families who fell victim to the evil that unleashed this morning in Highland Park, for those who lost loved ones and for those who were injured“. “There are no words to describe the kind of monster from ambush that shoots into a crowd of families and children celebrating a collective holiday. There are no words for the kind of evil that robs our neighbors of their hopes, their dreams, their future… We must – and we will – end this scourge of guns and violence“, he added.
Highland Park is located about 40 km north of downtown Chicago, on the shore of Lake Michigan. The nearby towns of Evanston and Deerfield canceled July 4 festivities and fireworks after the shooting.
Joe Biden said he was shockedby the senseless gun violence that once again mourned an American community on this Independence Day“.
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