6 Dead And Dozens Injured Following 4th Of July Shooting In Illinois

By Abdul Rafay in News On 5th July 2022
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A shooter opened fire at a 4th of July parade in Illinois' Highland Park, killing at least six people so far.

According to CNN, as people gathered for the day's 4th of July celebrations along Central Avenue shortly after 10:00AM, a gunman started fire.

Police commander Chris O'Neill says the rounds were allegedly fired from a nearby rooftop, and authorities later found a "high-powered rifle" there.

As per witnesses, people hurriedly tried to flee the situation as gunfire began to ring out. Residents of buildings within a specific radius of the firing were also helped to leave by SWAT officers.

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There was a ladder that the gunman used to descend into an alley at the side of the building, according to Christopher Covelli, a spokesman for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.

According to Covelli, the shooting was "intentional," and the victims were chosen at random.

The six victims of the attack were all adults, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek. One of them eventually passed away from his injuries at a hospital, leaving five of them dead at the site.

The Highland Park Fire Department also provided 23 additional victims with transportation to other hospitals, along with assistance from the police and the general public for other victims.

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The medical director of the NorthShore University Health System, Dr. Brigham Temple, reports that 26 people in all, some of whom were minors, were admitted to Highland Park Hospital. They ranged in age from eight to eighty-five.

CNN reports that 19 of the 25 gunshot victims have received care and been released.

Since then, the FBI has publicly announced that Robert E. Crimo III was apprehended by law enforcement on Monday night.

According to the authorities, a North Chicago officer tried to pull over Crimo after spotting him. Following his designation as a "person of interest," a vigorous manhunt spread throughout the Chicagoland region.

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The FBI later revealed that authorities were looking for Crimo, adding: "He is being sought for his alleged involvement in the shooting of multiple individuals at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois."

According to Kim Nerheim, a spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, investigators are currently trying to determine where the gun came from and who bought it first.

Per BBC News, city mayor Nancy Rotering said in a statement: "On a day that we came together to celebrate community and freedom, we're instead mourning the tragic loss of life."

Speaking to BBC News, witness Noel Hara said he was having breakfast in Starbucks at the time of the shooting, adding: "About 30 people suddenly came rushing in screaming and we were locked into the Starbucks bathroom.”

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"Moments later, they evacuated us from the Starbucks because they thought the shooter was trying to get in the back door."

Another witness estimated his distance from the gunman at about 100 meters, and he characterized the weapon as "the kind of firearm that fires a large number of shots in a short period. extremely loud."

Speaking about gun crime in the suburban area of Highland Park, they added: "I felt so safe here and this is very surreal. We're hiding in a shelter now keeping safe, people are crying. It's not a good feeling, at all."

The incident on Monday in Highland Park is the 308th mass shooting to occur in the US this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Everyone who has been impacted by this tragedy is in our thoughts.