Six people were killed and at least 24 were injured after gunfire broke out at a Fourth of July parade in suburban Chicago today, authorities said. A gunman started firing from the roof of a shop in the parade below minutes after the celebrations started, according to local reports.
A video posted on social media shows parade participants suddenly fled in panic as shots were fired in the streets of Highland Park, an affluent suburb. Families are seen on a sidewalk watching the parade. In the next frame we see them jumping off the ground and running, a voice yelling “gunshots” can be heard in the background.
The moment the crowd realized there had been mass shootings in Highland Park, Illinois, during their July 4 parade. Sadly, there is nothing more American than this tragedy. pic.twitter.com/beXt9uYP3F
— Read Wobblies and Zapatistas (@JoshuaPotash) July 4, 2022
The shooting occurred “in the area of the Independence Day Parade Route,” the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, which is responsible for the area that includes Highland Park.
We assist Highland Park Police in a shooting in the area of the Independence Day parade route. STAY OUT OF THE AREA – Let law enforcement and first responders do their job. pic.twitter.com/PTut6CGZAe
— Lake County Sheriff (@LakeCoILSheriff) July 4, 2022
The city of Highland Park announced that all of the July 4 festivities had been canceled as a result. Highland Park Police Department is responding to an incident in downtown Highland Park. All July 4th events have been cancelled. Please avoid downtown Highland Park. Find shelter in downtown HP. More information will be shared as it becomes available is,” reads the message on Facebook.
According to the Gun Violence Archive website, firearms cause about 40,000 deaths each year, including suicides in the United States.
The debate over gun control — a deeply divisive issue in the country — was sparked again by two massacres in May that shot 10 black grocery store customers in upstate New York and killed 21 people, mostly young children, at a Texas elementary school.
Congress passed the first major gun safety law in decades after those killings. President Joe Biden signed it into law in late June, saying that while it doesn’t meet what’s really needed, it will still save lives.
With input from AFP.