Five are dead and 19 are hospitalized after a shooting occurred at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Ill this morning.
The terror display from the parade can be seen here:
Officer Chris O’Neill has described the suspect for the shooting as a white male, 18-to-20 years of age, with long black hair and a small build who was wearing a white or blue T-shirt. A rifle was found on the scene. It is believed he may have been firing from a rooftop.
As of 2pm EST on Monday, the shooter is still on the loose, and there is a manhunt for the suspect that is currently underway.
“We just start running in the opposite direction,” mother Gina Troiani said to The Associated Press. Troiani explained that she was with her son lined up with his daycare class at the parade when she heard people yell about a shooter.
“It was just sort of chaos,” she added. “There were people that got separated from their families, looking for them. Others just dropped their wagons, grabbed their kids and started running.”
“People started saying: ‘There’s a shooter, there’s a shooter, there’s a shooter,’” Highland Park resident Debbie Glickman said to The Associated Press. “So we just ran. We just ran. It’s like mass chaos down there.”
“I’m so freaked out,” she added. “It’s just so sad.”
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is working with the Highland Park Police “with a shooting in the area of the Independence Day parade route,” according to their official Twitter account.
As a result of this shooting, the Village of Deerfield cancelled their Independence Day parade and so did the cities of Evanston and Northbrook. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot made a public comment after the tragedy as the culture of gun violence from her city spills over into the suburbs.
“The tragedy unfolding in Highland Park is devastating. I have been in contact with Mayor Rotering and have offered our support, and the Chicago Police Department is providing assistance,” Lightfoot said.
“We grieve with the families of the deceased and injured as well as the entire Highland Park community. Law enforcement is working hard to bring the shooter into custody. If anyone has information, we encourage them to call 911 and report what you know,” she added.
It will only be a matter of time before this instance is used by far-left demagogues to push for gun control. America is crumbling, and it will get far worse before it ever gets better.