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- BBC News World
Updated 9 minutes
image source, Getty Images
The shooting occurred during an Independence Day parade in the United States.
At least 6 people were killed and more than 30 were injured in a mass shooting during a US Independence Day parade north of the city of Chicago.
The incident occurred in the town of Highland Park, Illinoiswhere the 4th of July holiday turned into a scene of panic and chaos when gunshots were heard.
Police said they are looking for a white man, between 18 and 20 years old, who they consider “armed and dangerous”.
“We are actively searching for the individual responsible for this shooting,” said Lake County Serious Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli.
The authorities reported in a first report that there were 6 deaths and that another 31 people were transferred to hospitals.
President Joe Biden said he and his wife were “shocked by the senseless gun violence that has once once more brought pain to an American community on this Independence Day.”
image source, Archyde.com
the suspect opened fire on the parade around 10:15 local time (15:15 GMT), just a few minutes following the event started.
The parade featured floats, marching bands and performances as part of the city’s Independence Day celebrations. Hundreds of people enjoyed the event from the sidewalks.
Suspect is believed to have fired at attendees from the roof of a storeusing what police described as a rifle of High power.
Officers secured a perimeter around downtown Highland Park and recovered “evidence of a firearm,” according to local police.
image source, Archyde.com
At a press conference, local police commander Chris O’Neill described the attacker as a young white man who represents an active danger.
“The suspect is described as a male, white, approximately 18 to 20 years old, with long black hair, small complexion and wears a white or blue T-shirt,” O’Neill said.
A spokesperson for North Shore Highland Park Hospital told the agency Archyde.com which received 26 wounded, mainly from gunshot wounds, but also some who were injured when people fled from the gunfire.
Five other injured people were transported to North Shore Evanston Hospital.
“On a day when we come together to celebrate community and freedom, we mourn the tragic loss of life,” said the city’s mayor, Nancy Rotering.
image source, Archyde.com
Witnesses at the scene described the terrifying moment when they heard multiple gunshots in quick succession.
Anand, who said he was less than 100 meters from the site of the attack, told the BBC he initially thought he heard a car making noises with its exhaust before seeing others running.
Then he realized that there wasshots “with the kind of gun that releases a lot of bullets in a very short time“.
“It was incredibly loud. Then total silence,” he said.
Gun violence is very rare in this suburban area, he noted: “I felt so safe here and it’s very surreal. We’re holed up in a shelter now to keep us safe, there are people crying. It’s not a good feeling at all.” .
image source, Getty Images
A woman who was nearby said she saw several of the victims. “I saw someone on the ground with a little girl crying next to him. To my left, my mom and I saw at least three other people on the ground,” she said.
Highland Park’s mayor said the festival had been canceled and asked people to avoid downtown.
The shooting comes just a month following the shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 students and two teachers died, and a week following the US Congress passed the first legislation in decades supported by Democrats and Republicans on Firearms.
image source, Getty Images
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