At least six dead in shooting amidst 4 July parade in Chicago suburb, gunman still at large
At least six people are dead and 24 were taken to hospitals after a shooting at a July Fourth parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, and officers are searching for a suspect, police said Monday.
The authorities were still treating the case as an active shooter situation after 1 pm CDT (8 pm CET), with the gunman considered to be "armed and dangerous".
Highland Park Police Commander Chris O’Neill, the incident commander on scene, urged people to shelter in place as authorities continued the search.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the parade began around 10 am CDT (5 pm CET) but it was suddenly halted 10 minutes later after shots were fired. A Sun-Times reporter saw blankets placed over three bloodied bodies. Several witnesses told the newspaper that they heard gunfire.
Hundreds of parade-goers — some visibly bloodied — fled the parade route, leaving behind chairs, baby strollers and blankets.
Police told people: "Everybody disperse, please. It is not safe to be here."
Highland Park Police said in a statement early Monday afternoon that five people had been killed and 19 people were taken to hospitals. The number rose to six, with 24 hospitalised in total.
The police said authorities are still searching for the suspect, who was described as an 18- to 20-year-old white man with long black hair.
Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said at a news conference that the gunman apparently opened fire on parade-goers from a rooftop using a rifle that was recovered at the scene.
Local news channel ABC7 Chicago reported that the ATF bureau has ordered urgent tracing on who purchased the rifle and when.
Highland Park is a suburban city of about 30,000 residents in the affluent North Shore area of
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