updatedJuly 4, 2022 at 8:27 p.m
Several people have apparently been shot in a shooting at a parade near Chicago. At least six people died.
Several people were shot.
via REUTERS
At least two people are said to have been killed in the shooting.
Screenshot/WAVY-TV 10
A gunman opened fire at a US National Day parade in a suburb of Chicago, killing at least six people. A police spokesman said 24 people were taken to hospitals following the crime in Highland Park, Illinois. The shooter was initially not caught. A weapon was found at the crime scene. The suspect is described as a white male between the ages of 18 and 20. A spokesman for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said it appears the gunman fired from a rooftop.
Mayor Nancy Rotering urged people to avoid downtown. The administration of the small town with around 30,000 inhabitants said: “Numerous police officers are on duty and have cordoned off downtown Highland Park.”
A video apparently taken by a witness shows people fleeing the shots. The police department is calling on residents to avoid the area.
“The whole city is panicking”
Witnesses told the Chicago Sun Times they saw at least five people lying on the floor in pools of blood and another under a blanket. Police are patrolling the area with guns looking for the person who fired the shots.
Adrienne Drell, a former reporter for the paper, said she was sitting on a curb along Central Avenue watching the parade when she saw members of the Highland Park High School marching band begin to run. “The whole city is panicking,” she said. “Everyone is just stunned.”
“It was a quiet, peaceful, beautiful morning, people enjoying the parade,” Drell said. “When this calm is suddenly destroyed within seconds, it’s scary. There’s nowhere to go, there’s no peace to be found.”
The background to the crime was initially unknown. An eyewitness named Miles Zaremski told CNN that he saw several injured and lifeless people lying on the ground. “It was heartbreaking.” He heard around 30 pops. People fled the parade. “It was just chaotic.” Congressman Brad Schneider, who wanted to attend Monday’s parade, wrote on Twitter: “My condolences to the family and loved ones.” He is committed to doing everything “to make our children, our cities and our country safer. Enough is enough!”
update follows…
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