6 Killed in Shooting at July 4 Parade in Chicago Suburb – Authorities said that six people were killed and at least 24 injured when gunshots broke out during a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb today.
Several minutes after the celebrations started, a gunman started shooting into the parade below from the roof of a shop building, according to local accounts. In a video posted on social media, parade participants can be seen scurrying away in fear as shots are fired in the streets of Highland Park, a rich suburban city.
On a sidewalk, families may be seen enjoying the parade while seated. The next clip shows them jumping to their feet and running while a voice shouting “gunshots” can be heard in the distance. According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees the region that encompasses Highland Park, the shooting took place “in the area of the Independence Day parade route.”
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As a result, the city of Highland Park declared that all July 4 celebrations were cancelled. “The Highland Park Police are responding to a situation in the city’s center. Events for July 4th have all been postponed and people have been advised to avoid Highland Park’s downtown at all costs.
According to the website Gun Violence Archive, firearms are responsible for about 40,000 deaths annually in the United States, including suicides.
Two shootings in May that left 21 people dead, mostly young children, at an elementary school in Texas and 10 Black supermarket shoppers dead in upstate New York revived the country’s bitter debate over gun control.
In response to the killings, Congress passed the first significant gun safety bill in decades. In late June, President Joe Biden signed it into law, noting that even though it isn’t perfect, it will still save lives.
