At least five people were killed and 19 were taken to hospitals after a shooting at a July 4 parade in a Chicago suburb.police said.
The shooting in Highland Park interrupted the annual parade just after it started at 10 a.m.
Highland Park police said in a statement that five people have died and 19 have been taken to hospitals.. It was not clear if the five dead were among the 19 hospitalized.
Hundreds of parade attendeessome visibly bloody– fled the parade route, leaving chairs, strollers and blankets behind.
A reporter from Sun-Times vio blankets placed over three bloodied bodies.
The police told the people: “Everyone please stand down. It’s not safe to be here.”
A video recorded by a journalist from the Sun-Times after the shots shows a gang in a float that keep on playing as people run past screaming. A photo posted on social media appeared to show pools of blood near overturned chairs in downtown Highland Park.
Highland Park resident Debbie Glickman said she was on a parade float with her co-workers and the group was preparing to turn onto the main route when she saw people fleeing the area.
“People started saying ‘There’s a shooter, there’s a shooter, there’s a shooter.Glickman told Associated Press. “So we just ran. We just ran. It’s like massive chaos down there.” He did not hear any noise or see anyone who appeared to be injured. “I am very scared,” she said. “It’s so sad”.
Gina Troiani and her son were lined up with her kindergarten class, ready to enter the parade route, when she heard a loud noise she thought was fireworks, until she heard people yelling about a shooter. “We started running in the opposite direction,” she told AP.
Her 5-year-old son rode his bicycle decorated with curly red and blue ribbons. He and other children in the group held small American flags. The city said on its website that the festivities would include a children’s bike and pet parade. Troiani said she pushed her son’s bike, running through the neighborhood to get back to her car.
In a video Troiani recorded on her phone, some of the children startle at the loud noise, then pull over to the side of the road as a siren sounds. “It was chaos,” she said. “There were people who were separated from their families, looking for them. Others just left their cars, grabbed their children and started running.”
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said on Twitter that it is assisting Highland Park police with the shooting.
“Police are responding to an incident in downtown Highland Park. Fourth Fest has been cancelled. Please avoid downtown Highland Park. More information will be shared as it becomes available.”, the city authorities wrote on Twitter.
The city said on its website that the parade would feature floats, marching bands, novelty groups, community entries and other special entertainment. A children’s bike and pet parade was also scheduled to start 30 minutes before the main parade.
(With information from AP)
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