A man kills at least six people at a US National Day parade in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois.
- USA: A 22-year-old man opens fire at a National Day parade, killing six people.
- Gunshots at US National Day Parade: Young sniper announced act on the Internet.
- mug shot released: The alleged perpetrator is arrested after a short chase.
+++ 10.30 a.m.: A sniper opened fire on parade participants at a US National Day (July 4th) parade, killing six people. Onlookers in the Chicago suburb apparently initially thought the shots were fireworks. An eyewitness to the parade said: “It looked like a battlefield and it’s disgusting. It’s really disgusting,” Zoe told Pawelczak, who attended the Independence Day parade with her father CNN.
More and more details are becoming known about the victims of the attack. Like the news agency Archyde.com reported, among the victims in the Chicago suburb are a teacher from a synagogue and a man who came from Mexico to visit his family. The synagogue said she was survived by her husband and daughter. The 70-year-old’s granddaughter, Xochil Toledo, wrote: “My grandfather Nicolas Toledo, father of eight children and grandfather to many, left us this morning on July 4th. What was supposed to be a fun family day turned into a terrible nightmare for all of us.”
Chicago: Sniper announced action online – “I just have to do it”
+++ 7.30 a.m.: Hours after the attack, police released the shooter’s identity and a mug shot. He was first officially designated a “person of interest,” a sort of precursor to a suspect. The arrested man describes himself as a musician and presents himself online with the artist name of a rapper.
According to US media, he had published violent content on online platforms in the past. Among them was according to the newspaper Chicago Tribune a video with drawings of a shooter and people being shot, and a voice saying “I just have to do it” and “Nothing can stop me, not even myself”.
Sniper kills six people at US National Day parade – 22-year-old arrested
+++ 06.25 a.m.: Eyewitness Don Johnson told AFP he heard screams and saw people running with children in their arms. “We ran into the gas station and stayed there for three hours,” Johnson said. “I’ve seen scenes like this over and over again on TV and in other cities, and I didn’t think it would ever happen here.”
US President Joe Biden was “shocked by the senseless gun violence”. He thanked the emergency services and said he was praying for the injured.
Six dead after shooting at US National Day parade – suspect arrested
Update from Tuesday, July 5, 3:40 a.m.: The suspect was arrested after the deadly gun attack at a US National Day parade near Chicago. The 22-year-old was arrested “without incident” after a brief car chase, Highland Park City Police Chief Lou Jogmen said on Monday. The police had previously searched for the suspect under high pressure and with hundreds of heavily armed emergency services.
At least six people were killed in the attack during Independence Day celebrations on July 4 in Highland Park, Illinois, north of Chicago. Around 25 other people were injured by bullets. The shooter opened fire on a crowd attending a holiday parade from the roof of a shop, police said.
Shots at the US National Day parade: several people dead – perpetrators on the run
+++ 9.50 p.m.: It is now known that the hitherto unknown shooter killed at least six people at the US National Day parade in a suburb of Chicago. A police spokesman said 24 people were taken to hospitals after the crime in Highland Park, Illinois.
The shooter was initially not caught. A weapon was found at the crime scene. The suspect is described as a white male between the ages of 18 and 20. A spokesman for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said it appears the gunman fired from a rooftop.
Mayor Nancy Rotering urged people to avoid downtown. The administration of the small town with around 30,000 inhabitants said: “Numerous police officers are on duty and have cordoned off downtown Highland Park.” The background to the crime was initially unknown.
Shots at the US National Day parade: Apparently several dead
Update from Monday, July 4th, 7:50 p.m.: A gunman has shot at a parade to mark the national day in the USA opened fire in a suburb of Chicago. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said he had received reports that nine people were injured or killed by gunfire. Congressman Brad Schneider, who wanted to take part in Monday’s parade, wrote on Twitter: “I have heard that there have been deaths and injuries.” An eyewitness named Miles Zaremski told the station CNN, he saw several injured and lifeless people lying on the ground. “It was heartbreaking.”
Zaremski said he heard around 30 pops. People fled the parade. “It was just chaotic.” Lake County Sheriff’s Office Nancy Rotering tweeted, “Stay out of the area — let the police and first responders do their job.”
It was not immediately known who fired the shots at the parade in Highland Park. The mayor of Highland Park urged people to stay away from downtown. The July 4th festival has been cancelled. The United States celebrated its Independence Day on Monday.
Shots fired at US National Day parade: at least one person killed
First report: Highland Park – Multiple shots were fired during a US Independence Day parade in Highland Park, a northern Chicago suburb. This is reported by several US media unanimously. At least one person was killed. According to the Chicago Tribune newspaper, the Illinois state police are currently on duty.
At the time of the crime, around 10 a.m. (local time), hundreds of people are said to have been at the parade. The visitors left the event in panic, according to a report by the Chicago Sun Times. Official information about the perpetrators and other background information is not yet available.
The US has long struggled with massive levels of gun violence. Only at the end of May did an 18-year-old shooter massacred an elementary school in Texas. He killed 19 children and two teachers in the small town of Uvalde at the end of May before he was shot dead by the police. The bloody deed had rekindled the discussion about stricter gun laws in the USA. (nak/lz with AFP/dpa)