Illinois [US], July 4 (ANI): As many as six people were killed and 24 were hospitalized in a shooting at the July 4th parade route in north suburban Highland Park in Illinois. Law enforcement officials are terming an active shooter situation, New York Times quoted officials as saying. “This is an active incident. All individuals are advised to shelter in place. Law enforcement agencies are searching for the suspect; evidence of a firearm has been recovered. Numerous law enforcement officers are responding and have secured a perimeter around downtown Highland Park, read City of Highland Park press release.
Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, erupted in panic when shots were fired about 10 minutes after the parade kicked off, according to media reports.
At least 25 shots were fired at an Illinois Fourth of July parade; a reporter saw five people bloodied.
“As parade-goers fled the parade route in Highland Park, they left behind chairs, baby strollers and blankets,” tweeted Shannon Watts, Founder of “Moms Demand Action”.
The shooter was reported to still be active just after 11 am (local time), US media reported.
Sources said the person could be shooting from atop a high building. The parade route was near Central Avenue and Second Street.
The parade was stopped about 10 minutes after it kicked off at 10 am when shots were fired, striking an unknown number of parade-goers and sending hundreds of people running for safety.
A Chicago Sun-Times reporter saw blankets covering three bloodied bodies and five other people wounded and bloodied near the parade’s reviewing stand. Several witnesses said they heard multiple shots fired. One witness said he counted more than 20 shots.
Police were telling people, “Everybody disperse, please. It is not safe to be here.” As they fled the parade route, parade-goers left behind chairs, baby strollers, and blankets as they sought cover, not knowing just what happened.
Police were patrolling the area with rifles. The parade had a heavy presence of police and fire vehicles.
The city of Highland Park provided very little information on the incident in a Facebook post just before 10:45 am, only saying the city’s Fourth Fest had been canceled.
Earlier, Illinois witnessed a series of shooting incidents in which at least 37 people were injured and 7 killed in gun shootings, local media reported.
This is a new string of horrific shootings that took place in the United States where the latest is the killing of a 30-year-old man who was shot dead on Saturday morning (local time) in Chicago, Illinois.
The shooting incident took place in the 9000 block of Escanaba at about 12:19 am (local time) when the victim was shot in the head by an unknown person, police said. The victim was taken to an area hospital however he was pronounced dead. No one was in custody as of Saturday afternoon.
With increasing incidents of gun violence in the United States, President Joe Biden had said that the US needs to ban assault weapons for the sake of protecting children and families or raise the age to purchase them from 18 to 21.
Furthermore, on June 22, a group of US lawmakers reached a much-awaited deal on a bipartisan gun safety bill after recent mass shooting incidents in Uvalde, Buffalo, and Texas, that struck a nerve in the country.
The new bill aims to take firearms away from dangerous people and provide billions of dollars in new mental health funding.
The bill does not ban assault-style rifles or significantly expand background-check requirements for gun purchases, but it gives states more resources to take guns away from dangerous individuals. (ANI)
US agencies identify ‘person of interest’ in Illinois mass shooting
The US law enforcement agencies have identified a “person of interest” in the Highland Park, Illinois, mass shooting. Police identified the person as Robert E Crimo III, the Washington Times reported. “He is considered armed and dangerous,” Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli told reporters.
Crimo goes by the name Bobby and hails from the area of Chicago’s northern suburbs. The suspect aged 22 was believed to be driving a silver 2010 Honda Fit.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Chicago is assisting the local police in Illinois with the search for Crimo. “He (Robert E. Crimo, III) being sought for his alleged involvement in the shooting of multiple individuals at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois, at approximately 10:00 a.m. on July 4, 2022. At least six people were killed and 24 were injured,” the FBI said.
“Crimo, III, is believed to be driving a 2010 Silver Honda Fit with Illinois License Plates reading DM80653,” it added.
US President Joe Biden expressed shock over “senseless gun violence” reported in the state of Illinois during the July 4 event on Monday.
The suspect in a mass shooting at a July Fourth parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, which killed six people and at least 24 injured, has been detained near Lake Forest in Illinois, local media reported citing authorities. During a press conference Monday night (local time), authorities informed that the suspect Robert E Crimo III was spotted by a North Chicago officer who attempted a traffic stop. He was taken into custody without incident and will be transferred to the police department in Highland Park, according to CNN.
US: Illinois shooting suspect charged with 7 murder counts, faces life sentence
Washington [US], July 6 (ANI/Sputink): The suspected gunman in a July 4 parade shooting in Illinois was charged with seven counts of first degree murder for allegedly carrying out the attack that left seven people dead, Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said during a press conference.
“Today, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office has charged Robert Crimo III with seven counts of first degree murder,” Rinehart said on Tuesday.
Authorities intend on charging Crimo with dozens more crimes in the future, Reinhardt added.
Crimo faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole if convicted on the charges against him, Reinhardt also said. (ANI/Sputink)
