Gunman open fires on Independence Day parade, 6 killed, 30 wounded

The shooting occurred at a spot on the parade route where many residents had staked out prime viewing points early in the day for the annual 4th of July celebration.

At least six people were killed and around 30 wounded on July 4 when a gunman opened fire from a rooftop at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park.

More than 100 law enforcement officers were called to the parade scene or dispatched to find the suspected shooter.

“It definitely hits a lot harder when it’s not only your hometown but it’s also right in front of you,” resident Ron Tuazon said as he and a friend returned to the parade route Monday evening to retrieve chairs, blankets and a child’s bike that he and his family abandoned when the shooting began.

“It’s commonplace now,” Tuazon said of what he called yet another American atrocity. “We don’t blink anymore. Until laws change, it’s going to be more of the same.”

“There’s no safe place,” said Highland Park resident Barbara Harte, 73, who had stayed away from the parade fearing a mass shooting, but later ventured from her home.

Law enforcement escorts a family away from the scene of a shooting at a Fourth of July parade on July 4 in Highland Park, Illinois. Police have detained Robert Bobby E. Crimo III, 22, in connection with the shooting.

Police declined to immediately identify Crimo as a suspect but said identifying him as a person of interest, sharing his name and other information publicly was a serious step.

Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said at a news conference “several of the deceased victims” died at the scene and one was taken to a hospital and died there. Police have not released details about the victims or wounded.

Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek said the five people killed at the parade were adults, but didn’t have information on the sixth victim who was taken to a hospital and died there.

Police investigate outside the home of the mother of the man detained after the Fourth of July shooting.