6 dead, more than two dozen hospitalised in shooting at Chicago-area July 4 parade
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Six people were killed when a gunman opened fire at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, and more than two dozen people were taken to area hospitals with injuries, officials said on Monday.
Some of the victims, including at least one child, were in critical condition when they were transported from the scene, Highland Park Fire Chief Joe Schrage told reporters.
A gunman began firing from the roof of a retail store into the parade below just minutes after the celebrations began, as per local reports.
The suspected shooter, Robert Crimo, 22, has been arrested. He was taken into custody "without incident" after a brief car chase, Highland Park police chief Lou Jogmen told reporters.
A video on social media shows parade participants suddenly fleeing in panic as shots were fired in the streets of Highland Park, an affluent suburban city. Families are seen sitting on a sidewalk watching the parade. In the next frame, they are seen leaping up from the ground and running, and a voice yelling "gunshots" can be heard in the background.
The city of Highland Park announced that all July 4 festivities had been canceled as a result. "Highland Park Police are responding to an incident in downtown Highland Park. All 4th of July events have been canceled. Please avoid downtown Highland Park. Take shelter if in downtown HP. More information will be shared as it becomes available," its post on Facebook read.
President Joe Biden said he and his wife Jill were "shocked by the senseless gun violence that has yet again brought grief to an American community on this Independence Day."
Firearms cause approximately 40,000 deaths a year in the United States, including suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive website.
Congress passed the first significant bill on gun safety in decades in the wake of those killings. President Joe Biden signed it into law in late June, saying that while it falls short of what is really needed, it will still save lives.