Chicago shooting: at least six dead after attack at Fourth of July parade – latest updates

Show key events only Live feed Show key events only From 1h ago 19. 33 Here’s what we know so far following a press conference with Highland Park police. At least six people and at least two dozen are injured, most with serious injuries, after gunfire erupted at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, an affluent suburb of Chicago .

Police said the search for the suspect continues, and that they had put a perimeter in place around the downtown area. Residents are being asked to shelter in place. Police believe the gunman opened fire from the rooftop of a building, using a rifle.

A firearm was recovered at the scene. Cdr Chris O’Neil of the Highland Park police department said the shooting began shortly after the parade began at 10am local time. The event was abruptly halted and celebrations in neighboring communities have been cancelled.

O’Neil described the suspect as a white male about 18 to 20 years old, wearing a white or blue T-shift. Updated at 19. 37 BST 12m ago 20.

29 In a new statement, Illinois governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, said there are “no words for the kind of monster who lies in wait and fires into a crowd of families and children celebrating a holiday with their community. ” To the victims and the families who lost loved ones in Monday’s shooting, Pritzker said “the state grieves with you. ” But he said grief and prayers alone were not enough, vowing to act to “end this plague of gun violence.

” pic. twitter. com/SDNF90EHZS — Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) July 4, 2022 Updated at 20.

32 BST 24m ago 20. 17 The shooting comes at a tense moment for the nation, still reeling from the massacres in Buffalo, New York, where a gunman killed 10 people in a racist attack on a grocery store, and in Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman killed 19 elementary school students and two teachers. Last month, Joe Biden signed into law a bipartisan gun bill crafted in the wake of the attacks intended to keep dangerous individuals from obtaining firearms while bolstering investments in the nation’s mental health system.

The legislation, while modest, was celebrated as a major breakthrough after nearly three decades of gridlock in Washington over how to address gun violence in the US. Advocates applauded the measure, but said it was far from enough. Monday’s shooting at the Independence Day parade in Highland Park is likely to renew calls for more aggressive action to prevent mass shootings in America, which continue to occur at a shocking rate.

Meanwhile the location of the shooting – near Chicago, which has a high rate of gun violence and in Illinois, which has strict gun laws – will likely fuel conservative talking points that Chicago is “proof” that gun laws don’t work are misguided. But those claims are misguided, experts say. Illinois shares borders states that have weak gun laws, such as Indiana and Wisconsin, and studies have found that a substantial percentage of the guns recovered at crime scenes in Chicago – a majority, according to a 2017 analysis by one estimation , were purchased in other states.

48m ago 19. 53 Nancy Rotering, mayor of Highland Park, said the search for the gunman was ongoing and urged residents to continue sheltering in place. .

css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1. 5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;} Our community was terrorized by an act of violence that has shaken us to our core. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims during this devastating time.

On a day that we came together to celebrate community and freedom, we’re instead mourning the tragic loss of life and struggling with the terror that was brought upon us,” she said at a press conference. 1h ago 19. 44 Footage posted by on social media on Monday showed people running for safety as gunshots could be heard at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, near Chicago .

Warning: some viewers may find the following footage distressing. 00:24 People run as gunshots heard at Chicago Fourth of July parade – video 1h ago 19. 41 Highland Park’s congressman, Brad Schneider, a Democrat, said he and his campaign team were at the start of the parade when the shooting began.

All are safe. “My condolences to the family and loved ones; my prayers for the injured and for my community; and my commitment to do everything I can to make our children, our towns, our nation safer,” he wrote on Twitter. “Enough is enough! Today a shooter struck in Highland Park during the Independence Day parade.

My campaign team and I were gathering at the start of the parade when shooting started. My team and I are safe and secure. We are monitoring the situation closely and in touch with the Mayor.

— Rep. Brad Schneider (@RepSchneider) July 4, 2022 1h ago 19. 34 Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the Chicago Police Department is providing assistance, in a statement posted to Twitter.

“Law enforcement is working hard to bring the shooter into custody,” she wrote on Twitter. “If anyone has information, we encourage them to call 911 and report what you know. ” 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. We grieve with the families of the deceased and injured as well as — Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) July 4, 2022 1h ago 19.

33 Here’s what we know so far following a press conference with Highland Park police. At least six people and at least two dozen are injured, most with serious injuries, after gunfire erupted at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, an affluent suburb of Chicago . Police said the search for the suspect continues, and that they had put a perimeter in place around the downtown area.

Residents are being asked to shelter in place. Police believe the gunman opened fire from the rooftop of a building, using a rifle. A firearm was recovered at the scene.

Cdr Chris O’Neil of the Highland Park police department said the shooting began shortly after the parade began at 10am local time. The event was abruptly halted and celebrations in neighboring communities have been cancelled. O’Neil described the suspect as a white male about 18 to 20 years old, wearing a white or blue T-shift.

Updated at 19. 37 BST 1h ago 19. 16 At least six dead, 24 injured in mass shooting at July 4th parade in Chicago suburb Good afternoon.

Just moments ago authorities confirmed that at least six people were killed and at least two dozen more people were injured after gunfire erupted at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park , an affluent suburb north of Chicago . The search for the gunman continues, the Highland Park Police said. This is a breaking news story and we’ll bring you the most updated information as it arrives throughout the day.

Thank you for reading. At least five dead in shooting at Chicago suburb’s Fourth of July parade Read more Updated at 19. 18 BST Topics Chicago Reuse this content.