A shooter fired on from a rooftop in suburban Chicago, spraying the crowd with gunshots initially mistaken for fireworks before hundreds of panicked revelers of all ages fled in terror. At least six people were killed and at least 30 wounded.
An hourslong manhunt during which residents hunkered down in businesses or received police escorts to their homes ended with a traffic stop and brief chase Monday evening, when authorities detained a man they described as a person of interest. They gave no motive for the attack in Highland Park, an affluent community of about 30,000 on ChicagoB次元官网网址檚 north shore.
The July 4 shooting was just the the rituals of American life. Schools, churches, grocery stores and now community parades have all become killing grounds in recent months. This time, the bloodshed came as the its founding and the bonds that still hold it together.
B次元官网网址淚t definitely hits a lot harder when itB次元官网网址檚 not only your hometown but itB次元官网网址檚 also right in front of you,B次元官网网址� resident Ron Tuazon said as he and a friend returned to the parade route Monday evening to retrieve chairs, blankets and a childB次元官网网址檚 bike that he and his family abandoned when the shooting began.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 commonplace now,B次元官网网址� Tuazon said. B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 blink anymore. Until laws change, itB次元官网网址檚 going to be more of the same.B次元官网网址�
The shooting occurred at a spot on the parade route where many residents had staked out prime viewing points early in the day for the annual celebration.
Among them was Nicolas Toledo, who was visiting his family in Illinois from Mexico. He was shot and died at the scene, his granddaughter, Xochil Toledo, told the Chicago Sun-Times. Also killed was Jacki Sundheim, a lifelong congregant and B次元官网网址渂elovedB次元官网网址� staff member at nearby North Shore Congregation Israel, which announced her death on its website.
Dozens of fired bullets sent hundreds of parade-goers B次元官网网址� some visibly bloodied B次元官网网址� fleeing. They left a trail of abandoned items that showed everyday life suddenly, violently disrupted: a box of chocolate cookies spilled onto the grass; a childB次元官网网址檚 Chicago Cubs cap; baby strollers, some bearing American flags.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no safe place,B次元官网网址� said Highland Park resident Barbara Harte, 73, who had stayed away from the parade fearing a mass shooting, but later ventured from her home.
Highland Park Police Chief Lou Jogmen said a police officer pulled over Robert E. Crimo III about 5 miles (8 kilometers) north of the shooting scene, several hours after police released the manB次元官网网址檚 photo and warned that he was likely armed and dangerous. Authorities initially said he was 22, but an FBI bulletin and CrimoB次元官网网址檚 social media said he was 21.
Police declined to immediately identify Crimo as a suspect but said identifying him as a person of interest, sharing his name and other information publicly was a serious step.
Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said at a news conference B次元官网网址渟everal of the deceased victimsB次元官网网址� died at the scene and one died at a hospital. Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek said the five people killed at the parade were adults, but didnB次元官网网址檛 have information on the sixth.
Police have not released details about the victims, but ToledoB次元官网网址檚 granddaughter told the Sun-Times that Toledo had spent most of his life in Morelos, Mexico. Xochil Toledo said she remembers looking over at her grandfather, who was in his late 70s, as a band passed them.
B次元官网网址淗e was so happy,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淗appy to be living in the moment.B次元官网网址�
Xochil Toledo said her father tried to shield her grandfather and was shot in the arm; her boyfriend also was shot in the back and taken by someone to nearby hospital because they werenB次元官网网址檛 sure there would be enough ambulances for all the victims.
Roberto Velasco, MexicoB次元官网网址檚 director for North American affairs, said on Twitter that two Mexicans were also wounded.
Sundheim had spent decades on the staff at North Shore Congregation Israel, early on teaching at the congregationB次元官网网址檚 preschool and later serving as Events and BB次元官网网址檔ei Mitzvah Coordinator, B次元官网网址渁ll of this with tireless dedication,B次元官网网址� the congregation said in its statement announcing her death.
B次元官网网址淛ackiB次元官网网址檚 work, kindness and warmth touched us all,B次元官网网址� the statement said.
NorthShore University Health Center received 26 patients after the attack. All but one had gunshot wounds, said Dr. Brigham Temple, medical director of emergency preparedness. Their ages ranged from 8 to 85, and Temple estimated that four or five were children.
B次元官网网址淚t is devastating that a celebration of America was ripped apart by our uniquely American plague,B次元官网网址� Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at a news conference.
B次元官网网址淲hile we celebrate the Fourth of July just once a year, mass shootings have become a weekly B次元官网网址� yes, weekly B次元官网网址� American tradition.B次元官网网址�
Since the start of the year, there have been 15 shootings where four or more people have been killed, including the Highland Park one, according to The Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern University mass killing database.
The shooter opened fire around 10:15 a.m., when the parade was about three-quarters through, authorities said.
Highland Park Police Commander Chris OB次元官网网址橬eill, the incident commander on scene, said the gunman apparently used a B次元官网网址渉igh-powered rifleB次元官网网址� to fire from a spot atop a commercial building where he was B次元官网网址渧ery difficult to see.B次元官网网址� He said the rifle was recovered at the scene. Police also found a ladder attached to the building.
Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering told NBCB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淭odayB次元官网网址� show that she did not know where the gun came from but that it was B次元官网网址渓egally obtained.B次元官网网址�
President Joe Biden on Monday said he and first lady Jill Biden were B次元官网网址渟hocked by the senseless gun violence that has yet again brought grief to an American community on this Independence Day.B次元官网网址�
In recent days, passed by Congress in decades, a compromise that reflected at once both progress on a long-intractable issue and the deep-seated partisan divide that persists.
Crimo, who goes by the name Bobby, was an aspiring rapper with the stage name Awake the Rapper, posting on social media dozens videos and songs, some ominous and violent.
In one animated video since taken down by YouTube, Crimo raps about armies B次元官网网址渨alking in darknessB次元官网网址� as a drawing appears of a man pointing a rifle, a body on the ground and another figure with hands up in the distance.
CrimoB次元官网网址檚 father, Bob, a longtime deli owner, ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Highland Park in 2019, calling himself B次元官网网址渁 person for the people.B次元官网网址�
Highland Park is a close-knit community on the shores of Lake Michigan, with mansions and sprawling lakeside estates that have long drawn the rich and sometimes famous, including NBA legend Michael Jordan, who lived in the city for years when he played for the Chicago Bulls. John Hughes filmed parts of several movies in the city, including B次元官网网址淔erris BuellerB次元官网网址檚 Day Off,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淪ixteen CandlesB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淲eird Science.B次元官网网址�
Gina Troiani and her son were lined up with his daycare class ready to walk onto the parade route when she heard a loud sound that she believed was fireworks B次元官网网址� until she heard people yell about a shooter.
B次元官网网址淲e just start running in the opposite direction,B次元官网网址� she told The Associated Press.
Troiani said she pushed her 5-year-old sonB次元官网网址檚 bike, running through the neighborhood to get back to their car.
B次元官网网址淚t was just sort of chaos,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭here were people that got separated from their families, looking for them. Others just dropped their wagons, grabbed their kids and started running.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址擬ichael Tarm, Kathleen Foody And Roger Schneider, The Associated Press
