This Monday, July 4, during a parade for the Independence Day of the United States, a shooting left at least six dead and 24 injured in a town north of Chicago, authorities reported.
A white male between the ages of 18 and 20 was the suspect, described by police as having escaped and is considered “armed and dangerous.” “We are facing an active incident. It is recommended to seek shelter, ”the Highland Park City Council reported. The news agency The Tampa Herald assures, citing the “authorities”, that there are 31 those affected in total. The city council itself officially announced the number of fatalities and injuries.
A witness identified as Michael, interviewed by the news agency, said he saw a single shooter armed with a rifle “crouched down and advancing in a methodical, almost military manner.” Fourth of July celebrations were called off both in Highland Park, where the attack took place, and in several towns in the area.
Specifically, a door-to-door search is underway to locate the individual who caused the tragedy, who is described by witnesses as a person of small build and wearing a white or black shirt. The description was released by the authorities in the media for its dissemination and thus be able to find the suspect more quickly.
Hundreds of people had gathered in the morning for the July 4 celebrations. The shots spread panic in the streets of this town, located on the shores of Lake Michigan. Brad Schneider, an Illinois representative in the lower house of Congress, was there when the shots rang out. “My campaign team and I had just gotten together for the start of the parade when the shooting started,” Schneider posted after taking cover.
Between the celebration of the 4th of July, the shots against the parade apparently came from an individual stationed on one of the roofs of the buildings.
According to The Tampa Herald, just ten minutes after the start of the parade, up to 20 gunshots have been heard. Fire and Police received their first active shooter alert around 10:15 a.m. m. Upon arrival, the agents confirmed multiple victims and cardiorespiratory resuscitation maneuvers were initiated with one of them.
“People were crying, screaming and no one knew what was happening,” a witness told The Tampa Herald, also assuring that “it looked like a war zone.” One of the videos posted on social media shows spectators sitting calmly on a curb when someone shouts “Shoots!”, and members of one of the parade bands start running forward and the rest of the people also flee.
The authorities have asked the population to avoid the area of Green Bay Street and Central Street, and several hours have passed since the shooting began, there is still no news of any arrests.
