A man opened fire during a parade for the Independence Day. This took place in the affluent Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, USA, on July 4, 2022. Police describe the suspect as a white male between the ages of 18 and 20. He is now on the run and “considered armed and dangerous”.
As a result, festivities have been suspended in Highland Park, where the tragedy took place, and in several surrounding communities.
“As we gathered to celebrate our freedom, we must mourn the tragic loss of life and overcome our terror,” lamented the city’s mayor, Nancy Rotering, at a press conference. “At this point, we know that at least six people are dead” and “24 have been transported to the hospital,” she added, calling on her fellow citizens to remain “alert but calm,” France 24 reported.
“Law enforcement is searching for the suspect, a firearm has been recovered,” announced on its website the municipality of Highland Park, an affluent city north of Chicago where the shooting broke out. The suspect, described by police as a white male between 18 and 20 years old, is on the run and “considered armed and dangerous.”
The suspected shooter has not been identified. He has “long black hair and a white or blue T-shirt,” said local police chief Chris O’Neill. Hundreds of officers were deployed to apprehend the suspect and assist the public. In television footage of the city, law enforcement officers can be seen walking through empty streets, where sidewalks are covered with abandoned camping chairs in the panic.
Serial shootings are becoming a heavy burden for American authorities to deal with. We remember the shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24 of this year, which left 21 people dead, including 19 children. Gun violence is clearly on the rise in the United States. The Gun Violence Archive site already counts more than 22,000 people killed since the beginning of the year, including cases of suicide in its data.
Photo AFP