At least six people were killed and twenty-four others injured in a shooting Monday, July 4, during a parade on the occasion of July 4, the American national holiday, in Highland Park, a wealthy city north of Chicago (Illinois). Previously, the municipality had stated that sixteen people were taken to hospital.
The suspect, described by police as a white male between the ages of 18 and 20, is on the run and “considered armed and dangerous”. According to the sheriff’s office, the man fired a shotgun from the roof of a building. The weapon was found, but authorities are still looking for the suspect.
“As we gathered to celebrate our freedom, we must mourn the tragic loss of life and overcome our terror”lamented the mayor of the city, Nancy Rotering, during a press conference. “As of today, we know that at least six people have died” and “that twenty-four were taken to hospital”she added, calling on her fellow citizens to stay “Alert, but calm”.
Between twenty and twenty-five shots according to witnesses
Hundreds of officers were mobilized to apprehend the suspect and come to the aid of the population. On images of the city broadcast on television channels or published on social networkswe see the police circulating in empty streets, where the sidewalks are covered with camping chairs, abandoned in the panic.
According to the daily Chicago Sun-Times, the parade began around 10 a.m. (5 p.m. in Paris), but only lasted about ten minutes before gunshots were heard. A witness told the American channel CNN having heard between twenty and twenty-five shots. Videos, filmed by witnesses, have recorded the gunshots and the panic that followed.
Active shooter in Highland Park, IL. Avoid Central Ave. My nephew recorded this video. https://t.co/nUFRElrVZi
Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering had confirmed on Twitter that the municipal police were carrying out an intervention in the city center. The July 4 festivities have been canceled, she continued, asking to avoid the perimeter.
The 4th of July festivities canceled around
Brad Schneider, who represents the state of Illinois in the Lower House of Congress, was in this wealthy city, located on the shores of Lake Michigan, when the shots rang out. “My campaign team and I had just met for the start of the parade, when the gunfire started”does he have tweeted after taking cover.
The 4th of July festivities have been canceled in several neighboring towns, notably in Evanston and Mount Prospect, as a precaution.
The United States is still reeling from a series of killings, including one in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, which killed twenty-one people, including nineteen children. The country is facing a rise in gun violence more generally, with more than 22,000 people killed since the start of the year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which incorporates suicides into its data.