Authorities nonetheless trying to find suspect, calling it an energetic incident
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HIGHLAND PARK, Sick. — At the very least six folks died and 24 had been wounded in a capturing at a July Fourth parade within the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, and officers are trying to find a suspect who probably fired on the festivities from a rooftop, police mentioned Monday.
Highland Park Police Commander Chris O’Neill, the incident commander on scene, urged folks to shelter in place as authorities seek for the suspect, described as a white male sporting a white or blue T-shirt.
Lake County Main Crime Activity Pressure spokesman Christopher Covelli mentioned at a information convention that the gunman apparently opened hearth on parade-goers from a rooftop utilizing a rifle that was recovered on the scene. He didn’t know which constructing.
Covelli mentioned police consider there was just one shooter and warned that he ought to nonetheless be thought-about armed and harmful.
Police haven’t launched any particulars concerning the victims or wounded.
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The parade started round 10 a.m. but it surely was abruptly halted about 10 minutes later after photographs had been fired. Lots of of parade-goers — some visibly bloodied — fled the parade route, abandoning chairs, child strollers, plush toys, bicycles and blankets.
Police advised folks: “All people disperse, please. It’s not secure to be right here.”
Highland Park Police mentioned in a press release early Monday afternoon that 5 folks had been killed and 19 folks had been taken to hospitals. however these numbers had been revised quickly after on the information convention.
Video shot by a Solar-Occasions journalist after the gunfire rang out reveals a band on a float persevering with to play as folks run previous, screaming.
Gina Troiani and her son had been lined up together with his daycare class able to stroll onto the parade route when she heard a loud sound that she believed was fireworks — till she heard folks yell a few shooter.
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“We simply begin operating in the other way,” she advised The Related Press.
Her 5-year-old son was driving his bike adorned with pink and blue curled ribbons. He and different kids within the group held small American flags. Town mentioned on it’s web site that the festivities had been to incorporate a kids’s bike and pet parade.
Troiani mentioned she pushed her son’s bike, operating via the neighborhood to get again to their automotive.
In a video that Troiani shot on her cellphone, a number of the youngsters are visibly startled on the loud noise they usually scramble to the aspect of the street as a siren wails close by.
It was simply type of chaos,” she mentioned. “There have been those who received separated from their households, searching for them. Others simply dropped their wagons, grabbed their youngsters and began operating.”
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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker mentioned in a tweet that he’s “intently monitoring the state of affairs in Highland Park” and that Illinois State Police are helping.
Debbie Glickman, a Highland Park resident, mentioned she was on a parade float with coworkers and the group was getting ready to show onto the primary route when she noticed folks operating from the world.
“Individuals began saying: ‘There’s a shooter, there’s a shooter, there’s a shooter,”’ Glickman advised the Related Press. “So we simply ran. We simply ran. It’s like mass chaos down there.”
She didn’t hear any noises or see anybody who gave the impression to be injured.
“I’m so freaked out,” she mentioned. “It’s simply so unhappy.”
Related Press reporter Kathleen Foody contributed from Chicago.