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Chicago, Illinois — Chicago, Illinois — The people gathered for a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park ran as a man opened fire at the event in what police called an “intentional” and “completely random attack,” footage of the incident showed.
The unidentified gunman opened fire from a rooftop into the Independence Day Parade in the suburb’s downtown area Monday.
Long bursts of gunshots can be heard as event attendees attempted to flee, footage shared by ABC 7 Chicago showed.
It appeared as if the shooter specifically targeted spectators and participants of the parade, said Sgt. Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Major Crime Task Force.
While the attack was deemed “intentional,” it was also “completely random,” Covelli told NBC 5 Chicago.
At least six people were killed in the incident, while another 26 got injured and taken to Highland Park Hospital. Among the injured, four or five were children, according to Dr. Brigham Temple, of NorthShore University Health System.
Some of the victims “were immediately killed with horrific gunshot wounds,” according to David Baum, a doctor who attended the parade and helped treat those who got injured.
“The bodies that I saw, it was not an image that anyone who’s not a physician would have an easy time processing,” Baum added.
Chairs, drinks and balloons, among other things, were abandoned along the Highland Park parade’s route in the wake of the attack, a video uploaded by Chicago Tribune reporter Jake Sheridan showed.
“Eerie and surreal,” he remarked.
A person of interest in the shooting identified by the FBI as Robert E. Crimo III was taken into custody after a “brief chase” with law enforcement authorities in north Chicago hours after the attack, Highland Park Police Chief Lou Jogmen said.
Investigators will question the 22-year-old “to make sure if, in fact, he is connected to this incident,” according to Jogmen.
Though Crimo was only named a person of interest in the case, he is strongly “believed to have been responsible for what happened,” Covelli said.
“[Law enforcement officials have] processed a significant amount of digital evidence today, which helped lead investigators in this direction. So, calling somebody a suspect or person of interest, it’s really synonymous,” the official noted.
No charges have been approved yet, and police are still “a long way from that,” according to Covelli.
Highland Park Police are leading the investigation into the shooting. The Lake County Major Crime Task Force is working directly with the FBI.
Abandoned lawn chairs stand along the streets at the scene of the Fourth of July parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois on July 4, 2022
Photo: AFP / Youngrae Kim
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