Sandy MaloneHighland Park, IL – Five people were killed and another 16 were wounded when a gunman opened fire at the 4th of July parade in Highland Park and the shooter is not yet in custody.
Witnesses said the gunfire erupted about 10 minutes after the parade kicked off on July 4, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Authorities said that at least five people were killed and at least 16 more have been transported to the hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds.
No information has been released about how serious their conditions may be, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
“I heard 20 to 25 shots, which were in rapid succession. So it couldn’t have been just a handgun or a shotgun,” Highland Park resident Miles Zaremski said.
Police were searching the area but the gunman has not yet been apprehended, WLS reported.
Some witnesses said it seemed like the shots were coming from atop a building but police have not yet released any information about the incident.
Former Chicago Sun-Times reporter Adrienne Drell was watching the parade with her family sitting on the curb on Central Avenue when she saw the Highland Park High School march band start running.
Drell said she ran to a parking lot with a bunch of other parade-goers.
“It was a quiet, peaceful, lovely morning, people were enjoying the parade,” she 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.”
There were abandoned strollers, chairs, flags, and other items strewn through the street and sidewalks, left behind as the owners fled in terror.
The nearby village of Deerfield posted to social media that the city’s Fourth Fest had been cancelled due a shooting in Highland Park, WLS reported.
My video.. I was at #Highland Park parade.. Terrified people fleeing July 4th parade when shooting started. pic.twitter.com/DSe0NJOuem
— Lynn Sweet (@lynnsweet) July 4, 2022
Highland Park, Illinois shooting. You can hear the gunshots in this video. pic.twitter.com/XhUB9Ul43k
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 4, 2022
BREAKING: According to a news release from the City of Highland Park, 5 people are dead in today’s mass shooting. 16 others were taken to a local hospital. The incident is STILL ACTIVE, officials say. (@ABC7Chicago)
— Christian Piekos (@ChristianPiekos) July 4, 2022
Highland Park, Illinois shooting. You can hear the gunshots in this video. pic.twitter.com/XhUB9Ul43k
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 4, 2022
Hearing of loss of life and others injured. My condolences to the family and loved ones; my prayers for the injured and for my community; and my commitment to do everything I can to make our children, our towns, our nation safer. Enough is enough!
— Brad Schneider (@Schneider4IL10) July 4, 2022
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that there had been a shooting and asked people to avoid the area, FOX News reported.
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Holly Matkin
