In a developing story, another mass shooting has occurred, this time in Highland Park, Illinois.
At least six people were killed in the deadly attack after a gunman opened fire, likely from the store rooftop. He is believed to be a white male in the age range of 18-20 years old. He was last seen wearing a blue T-shirt.
The Fourth of July parade kicked off in Highland Park, a suburb outside Chicago. So far, the gunman has shot 16 people, and six people have been reported dead. Police haven’t identified the gunman yet and said it remains an “active incident,” urging residents to stay away.
A Chicago Sun-Times reporter saw three blankets covering bloodied bodies and five others wounded near the parade’s viewing stand. The NorthShore University Health System reported 26 people rushed into Highland Park Hospital and five to Evanston Hospital.
A witness says he counted more than 20 shots firing. Miles Zaremski says, “I heard 20 to 25 shots, which were in rapid succession. So it couldn’t have been just a handgun or a shotgun.”
He told the Chicago Sun-Times he saw a nearby woman covered with blood, “she did not survive.”
A former Sun-Times reporter watching the parade, Adrienne Drell, says, “It was a quiet, peaceful, lovely morning. People were enjoying the parade,” Drell said. “Within seconds, to have that peacefulness suddenly ripped apart, it’s scary. You can’t go anywhere. You can’t find peace. I think we are falling apart.”
We are assisting Highland Park Police with a shooting in the area of the Independence Day parade route. STAY OUT OF THE AREA – allow law-enforcement and first responders to do their work. pic.twitter.com/PTut6CGZAe
— Lake County Sheriff (@LakeCoILSheriff) July 4, 2022
The American Public Health Association says gun violence is a public health crisis. Buzzfeed News reports, “As of July 4, at least 22,284 people have died from gun violence this year, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive.”
