Sixteen people were shot and at least five people were killed Monday morning in a shooting at Highland Park's Independence Day parade, officials confirmed, urging residents to continue to "shelter in place" as the gunman remains at large.
The shooting happened just after 10 a.m. in downtown Highland Park, according to reports. A large police presence from the state and neighboring suburban Chicago departments was seen along the parade route.
"Highland Park Police are responding to an active shooter incident that occurred in downtown Highland Park during the 4th of July parade," the city of Highland Park wrote in a statement. "This is an active incident. All individuals are advised to shelter in place. Law enforcement agencies are searching for the suspect; evidence of a firearm has been recovered. Numerous law enforcement officers are responding and have secured a perimeter around downtown Highland Park. 16 people have been transferred to the hospital; 5 individuals are confirmed deceased."
"Due to a tragic mass shooting that took place earlier this morning in Highland Park, the City of Evanston will be canceling this year’s 4th of July Parade and celebrations effective immediately."
Larry Bloom, who was in the area when shots began, said at first spectators thought the "popping" sound was part of the parade.
"You heard like a 'pop, pop, pop,' and I think everybody kinda thought maybe it was a display on one of the floats and then it just opened up," Bloom said.
"I was screaming and people were screaming," Bloom said. "They were panicking and and they were just scattering and I, you know, we didn't know. You know, it was right on top of us."
The public is being asked to avoid downtown Highland Park as police continue to respond to the shooting "in the area of the Independence Day parade route," the Lake County Sheriff posted on Twitter.
"STAY OUT OF THE AREA - allow law-enforcement and first responders to do their work," the sheriff posted.
"The Illinois State Police is currently assisting Highland Park PD with an active shoot situation that occurred at the Highland Park Parade," police tweeted. "The public is advised to avoid the area of Central Ave and 2nd St. in Highland Park."
This is a breaking news story. Check back as details emerge.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/loc...hland-park-urge-public-to-avoid-area/2872781/ (A)
Suspect planned Highland Park parade shooting for weeks and dressed in women's clothing during attack to blend in, police say
Investigators believe the suspect in Monday's killings at a July Fourth parade in Highland Park, Robert E. Crimo III, planned the attack "for several weeks," a spokesperson for Lake County authorities said Tuesday.
Crimo was dressed in women's clothing during the attack, apparently to help him conceal his identity and his facial tattoos, and to help him leave the area undetected along with the crowd fleeing in the shooting's wake, said Christopher Covelli, spokesperson for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.
"At this point we have not developed a motive from him," Covelli said.
More than 70 rounds were fired into the crowd, Covelli said.
Crimo went to his mother's home in the area after the attack, and then borrowed her vehicle, according to Covelli.
Investigators have no information that the shooting was motivated by race, religion or any other protected status, Covelli said. Authorities did not announce any changes against Crimo at Tuesday's news conference.
[Original story, published at 12:04 p.m. ET]
A day after authorities say a rooftop gunman killed six people and injured dozens more at a July Fourth parade in Highland Park, Illinois, a city street still was littered Tuesday with belongings abandoned in haste, and residents are struggling to come to terms with what happened.
A suspect, identified by authorities as Robert E. Crimo III, is accused of using a "high-powered rifle" Monday in an attack that appeared to be "random" and "intentional," police said, and that left people scattering in panic. Investigators believe the suspected shooter, apprehended later that day, climbed onto a rooftop of a business and opened fire on the parade about 20 minutes after it started in the Chicago suburb.
On Tuesday morning, three blocks of Central Avenue in downtown Highland Park remained blocked off behind police tape. FBI agents walked in a line to comb the street for more evidence and lifted up strewn lawn chairs, and other items left behind in the flight to safety.
A man who'd fled the carnage uninjured with his sons returned Tuesday and found the wheelchair of his elder son, who has special needs. They'd abandoned the wheelchair Monday -- and the younger sibling carried his brother -- after the elder fell out as they hurried away from the shooting.
"We're all a little shaken. It's hard to believe this happened, and only (yesterday). And I think we're all a little shaky and unsettled, (is) probably the best way to describe it," the father, Paul Toback, told CNN's "New Day" on Tuesday.
Both inside and outside the taped-off zone, belongings of parade visitors remained strewn on the ground. Among them: a baby carriage, a Dunkin Donuts iced coffee overrun by ants, a half-eaten cup of noodles, a toy truck, sunscreen, bottles of water, dog treats, and a stuffed Sonic the Hedgehog toy.
The carnage punctuates an already bloody American spring and summer -- during the past 186 days, more than 300 mass shootings have happened in the US, according to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit tracking such incidents.
"There are no words for the kind of evil that shows up at a public celebration of freedom, hides on a roof and shoots innocent people with an assault rifle," Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday. "It is devastating that a celebration of America was ripped apart by our uniquely American plague."
Police captured the suspect near Lake Forest, Illinois, following an intense manhunt across the Chicagoland area. He was taken into custody after leading officers on a brief car chase before being stopped.
Firearm evidence was found on the rooftop of a business near the shooting, police Cmdr. Chris O'Neill said Monday. The gunman used a ladder attached to the wall of the building from an alley to access the roof, said Christopher Covelli, spokesperson for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.
Police said they are investigating who bought the firearm and its origins.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/05/...uly-fourth-parade-tuesday-intl-hnk/index.html (A)
Highland Park, Illinois (CNN)[Breaking news update at 6:30 p.m. ET]
Eric Rinehart, Lake County's State's Attorney, has charged the Highland Park parade mass shooting suspect, Robert E. Crimo III, with seven counts of first-degree murder.
[Previous story, published at 5:59 p.m. ET]
Police on Tuesday identified six of the seven victims killed in the Highland Park July Fourth parade shooting.
Jennifer Banek, Lake County Coroner, read the list of names during a Tuesday news conference. The victims are as follows:
- 64-year-old Katherine Goldstein of Highland Park
- 35-year-old Irina McCarthy of Highland Park
- 37-year-old Kevin McCarthy of Highland Park
- 63-year-old Jacquelyn Sundheim of Highland Park
- 88-year-old Stephen Straus of Highland Park
- 78-year-old Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza of Morelos, Mexico
A total of 45 people died or were injured during the shooting, said Christopher Covelli, spokesperson for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.
The focus of the investigation for the last 36 hours was on the shooter, but has now shifted to "the victims and those left behind," Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering said during the news conference.
The release of the victims' names comes after investigators revealed the suspected gunman, Robert E. Crimo III, 21, may have planned the attack "for several weeks" and wore women's clothing during the shooting to conceal his identity and his facial tattoos, and to help him leave with the crowd that was fleeing in the shooting's wake, Covelli said.
"He blended right in with everybody else as they were running around, almost as (if) he was an innocent spectator as well," Covelli said late Tuesday morning at a news conference outside Highland Park police headquarters.
Covelli also revealed Tuesday that Crimo had two prior incidents with law enforcement. In April 2019, an individual contacted authorities about Crimo attempting suicide. Authorities spoke with Crimo and his parents, and the matter was handled by mental health professionals, Covelli said.
Then, in September 2019, a family member reported that Crimo threatened "to kill everyone" and had a collection of knives, Covelli said. Police removed 16 knives, a dagger and a sword from their residence. Highland Park police reported the incident to Illinois State Police.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/05/...uly-fourth-parade-tuesday-intl-hnk/index.html (A)
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