On Monday morning (local time) there was another bloody crime in the USA! Shots were fired in the town of Highland Park near Chicago, Illinois. This during a parade on the occasion of the national holiday with many spectators. Panic broke out among the people.
“Stay out of the area — let the police and first responders do their job,” the Lake County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Twitter.
Six people were reportedly fatally injured and 30 others hospitalized. According to eyewitnesses, 20 to 25 shots were heard, writes “CNN”.
Did the man shoot from a roof?
Peter Kotonis was on his way to the parade to meet his family and was approaching the parade route when he saw hundreds of people running. “It was chaotic. I called my family to find out where they were. They were holed up in a building near the route,” the man told the Chicago Tribune.
It is not known who fired the shots in the Highland Park parade. The shooter has not yet been caught. The suspect is described as a white male between the ages of 18 and 20. A gun was found at the crime scene. According to authorities, the shooter may have fired from a roof.
TV pictures showed people fleeing. The mayor of Highland Park urged people to stay away from downtown. The July 4th festival has been cancelled.
Major violence problem in the USA
The US has long struggled with massive levels of gun violence. At the end of May, an 18-year-old gunman massacred a Texas elementary school. He had killed 19 children and 2 teachers in the small town of Uvalde at the end of May before he was shot dead by the police.
The crime had rekindled the discussion about stricter gun laws in the USA. Firearms are relatively easy to obtain in the United States. (man)