Latest Updates on Highland Park Fourth of July Parade Mass Shooting – NBC Chicago

Details continue to emerge after an unidentified man opened fire during the Independence Day parade in Highland Park, a suburb north of Chicago, killing six people and seriously injuring at least two dozen. others.

The whereabouts of the shooter remain unknown and an active search is underway, police said. Residents have been asked to continue to shelter in place and stay at home during the manhunt.

The shooting occurred around 10:14 a.m. in the Central Avenue and 2nd Street area of ​​downtown Highland Park during the city’s July 4 parade, authorities said.

Here are the latest updates:

5:38 p.m. Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering called today ‘a terribly difficult and bloodiest day we have had in Highland Park’.

“Our community, like so many before us, is devastated. It is impossible to imagine the pain of this kind of tragedy until you are confronted with this gun violence. … It is a crisis that devastates families and entire communities in a single moment. And we know this is going to take a very, very long time to heal. Again, I want to express my thanks to the people and the resources to move this investigation forward. And we are We all look forward to bringing this individual to justice. On behalf of the City of Highland Park, our hearts are broken for the victims and their families. As we always do, we support each other. We are strong in Highland Park.

4:53 p.m. Police have identified the person of interest in the shooting as 22-year-old Robert “Bobby” E Crimo III. Crimo is believed to be driving a silver 2010 Honda Fit with Illinois license plates DM80653.

“He is considered armed and dangerous,” Covelli said. “The community should not approach him if they see him, know where he is.”

4:42 p.m. The Chicago FBI public affairs team said the Highland Park shooting “remains an active and ongoing investigation.”

“The FBI-Chicago asks anyone with information regarding the incident of the shooting in Highland Park, IL on July 4, 2022, to please submit the information to: 1-800-CALLFBI.”

4:23 p.m. Doctors at NorthShore Highland Park Hospital said 25 of their patients “suffered gunshot wounds”. Nineteen patients were treated and discharged. The age of the patients varies between 8 and 85 years. About four out of five of them are children.

4:12 p.m. Members of the SWAT team are seen in an area of ​​Highland Park walking between houses. We do not reveal their whereabouts out of caution. It remains unclear if this incident is related to the parade shooting.

3:23 p.m. Police continue to search for the shooter and are asking residents in the Green Bay Road to Laurel area, from St. Johns to Elm Place to shelter in place. “People outside of this area no longer need to shelter in place, but we urge everyone to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behavior immediately.”

Police said five adults were pronounced dead at the parade scene after the shooting and one adult died at a nearby hospital. Twenty people were seriously injured in the shooting.

There was no indication there was more than one armed man, police said.

2:55 p.m. President Joe Biden said he was “shocked” but grateful to first responders following the mass shooting in Highland Park.

“Jill and I are shocked by the senseless gun violence that has once again caused heartache in an American community on this Independence Day,” Biden said. “As always, we are grateful to the first responders and law enforcement on the scene. I have spoken to Governor Pritzker and Mayor Rotering, and offered the full support of the federal government to their communities. J I have also called on federal law enforcement to assist in the urgent search for the shooter, who remains at large at this time.”

2:07 p.m. According to police, the shooter fired into the parade with a high-powered rifle from a rooftop. Authorities are still working to locate the man, they said. “Everything indicates that he was inconspicuous and very difficult to see,” Covelli said of the shooter’s position on a rooftop.

Anyone with photos or video of the incident is urged to turn them into police.

“We ask anyone with video surveillance that they may have, please review your cell phones,” Covelli said. “If you took pictures in the Second and Central area today, it might help investigators. They might see something there that might be useful and help them continue the investigation. All business owners in this area we ask please check your CCTV If you have CCTV of this area at the time even if you can’t see anything inside we would love to have a look at it eye so we can continue our investigation.”

2 p.m. Members of the SWAT team are seen escorting people from the companies where they were staying on site.

1:40 p.m. Those looking to reunite with family members after the parade are asked to visit the Highland Park Reunification Center at the Highland Park Police Department at 1677 Old Deerfield Road.

1:36 p.m. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker asked for prayers for the families of those who died and for those injured in the shooting.

“There are no words for the kind of monster that stalks and shoots at a crowd of families with children celebrating a holiday with their community,” Pritzker said in a statement. “There are no words for the kind of evil that robs our neighbors of their hopes, their dreams, their future. There are no words I can offer to ease the pain of those they leave behind. Know that our state mourns with you, that MK and I mourn with you.”

1:20 p.m. In separate videos of the incident on social media, multiple gunshots can be heard during the shooting, followed by a pause and another gunshot. In some videos, more than 50 gunshots are heard.

12:54 p.m. Six people were killed and at least two dozen others were seriously injured in the shooting, according to Highland Park Police.

The shooter, whose identity and whereabouts are unknown, is described by police as a white male between the ages of 18 and 20 with a small build and “longer” black hair. He wears a white or blue T-shirt, depending on Highland Park Police Cmdr. Chris O’Neill.

“We’re asking everyone to stay indoors,” the Lake County Sheriff said. Christopher Covelli. “Stay alert at this time. This person has not identified themselves. By all means, at this point, it appears to be completely random.”

Covelli said the shooter fired into the parade with a rifle from a rooftop. He said police were working to locate the man.

“Investigators are working very, very quickly to try to identify who this person is and to try to figure out where he is,” Covelli said.

Everyone in the Highland Park area is urged to report suspicious activity by calling 911 or the Highland Park Police Department at 847-432-7730. The FBI has also established a hotline at 800-CALL-FBI.

12:40 p.m. NorthShore Highland Park Hospital said it was treating 26 people and five were taken to NorthShore Evanston Hospital.

12:21 p.m. The City of Highland Park releases a statement that Highland Park Police are “responding to an active shooter incident that occurred in downtown Highland Park during the 4th of July Parade. This is a active incident. All persons advised to shelter in place. Law enforcement agencies are searching for the suspect; evidence of a firearm has been recovered. Numerous law enforcement officers order respond and have secured a perimeter around downtown Highland Park. 16 people have been transferred to hospital; 5 people have died.”

12:05 Other suburbs are canceling July 4 events in the wake of the shooting.

11:48 Larry Bloom, a resident who was in the area when the shooting started, told NBC Chicago that at first he thought the “pop” sound was part of the parade.

“You heard like a ‘pop, pop, pop’ and I think everyone thought maybe it was a display on one of the tanks and then it opened up,” Bloom said.

“I was screaming and people were screaming,” Bloom said. “They were freaking out and they were scattering and I, you know, we didn’t know that. You know, it was right above us.”

11:28 Several suburban Chicago communities are canceling parades and fireworks and closing beaches.

11:05 a.m. The Lake County Sheriff tweeted that he was “attending Highland Park Police shooting in the area of ​​the Independence Day Parade route. STAY OUT OF THE AREA – allow law enforcement and first responders to do their job”.

10:45 a.m. The Town of Highland Park said police were “responding to an incident in downtown Highland Park. The fourth festival has been cancelled. Please avoid downtown Highland Park.”

10:20 a.m. Information about the shooting appears on Twitter.

10:14 a.m. Gunshots ring out during the Highland Park Independence Day Parade through the Central Avenue and 2nd Street area, police say. Highland Park police ran towards the shots, at which point the shooter stopped firing, Lake County Major Crimes Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said during a point of view. press later in the day.