Highland Park (Unites States of America): A gunman opened fire on an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago on Monday, killing at least six people, wounding 30 and sending hundreds of marchers, parents with strollers and children on bicycles fleeing in terror, police said. The 22-year-old suspect, who had apparently fired from a concealed spot on a rooftop, remained on the loose hours later as authorities scoured the area.
After a massive chase, Highland Park's police chief said that the suspect in the killings, identified as Robert E Crimo III, has been taken into custody. Police earlier said Crimo should be considered armed and dangerous and was pulled over by police on Monday evening after a brief pursuit.
The July 4 shooting was just the latest to shatter the rituals of American life. Schools, churches, grocery stores and now community parades have all become killing grounds in recent months. This time, the bloodshed came as the nation tried to find cause to celebrate its founding and the bonds that still hold it together.
President Joe Biden on Monday said he and first lady Jill Biden were shocked by the senseless gun violence that has yet again brought grief to an American community on this Independence Day. He said he had surged Federal law enforcement to assist in the urgent search for the shooter, who remains at large at this time. Biden last month signed the widest-ranging gun violence bill passed by Congress in decades, a compromise that showed at once both progress on a long-intractable issue and the deep-seated partisan divide that persists.
Mayor Nancy Rotering said the violence has shaken us to our core, adding, "On a day that we came together to celebrate community and freedom, we are instead mourning the tragic loss of life and struggling with the terror that was brought upon us.
The shooting occurred at a spot on the parade route where many residents had staked out prime viewing points early in the day for the annual celebration. But dozens of fired bullets sent hundreds of parade-goers some visibly bloodied fleeing. They left a trail of abandoned items that showed everyday life suddenly, violently disrupted: A half-eaten bag of potato chips; a box of chocolate cookies spilt onto the grass; a child's Chicago Cubs cap.
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Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said several of the deceased victims died at the scene and one was taken to a hospital and died there. Police have not released details about the victims or wounded. Authorities said the shooter opened fire around 10.15 am, when the parade was about three-quarters through.
Covelli said at a news conference that the gunman apparently used a high-powered rifle to fire from a spot atop a building where he was very difficult to see. He said the rifle was recovered at the scene. Very random, very intentional and a very sad day, Covelli added.
Police believe there was only one shooter but warned that he should still be considered armed and dangerous. Several nearby cities cancelled events including parades and fireworks, some of them noting that the Highland Park shooter was still at large. Evanston, Deerfield, Skokie, Waukegan, and Glencoe cancelled events.
You have a tragic mass act of violence that was random here today at a community event where people were gathered to celebrate, and the offender has not been apprehended thus far, Covelli, the crime task force spokesman, said. So, could this happen again? We don't know what his intentions are at this point, so certainly we're not sure of that. More than 100 law enforcement officers were called to the parade scene or dispatched to find the suspected shooter.
Hours after the shooting, law enforcement officers searched an office building near where the shooting occurred. Nearby, armed FBI agents in camouflage escorted a family with two small girls across Central Street hours after the shooting. The children looked visibly frightened even as their mother attempted to reassure them that the agents leading and flanking them would protect them.
Ominous signs of a joyous event suddenly turned to horror-filled both sides of Central Street where the shooting occurred. Dozens of baby strollers, some bearing American flags, abandoned children's bikes, and a helmet bedecked with images of Cinderella were left behind in their haste. Blankets, lawn chairs, coffees and water bottles were knocked over as people fled. (With Agency Inputs)
