America’s birthday party was turned into a code yellow for Highland Park Hospitals during today’s 4th of July in Chicago parade.
The famous 4th of July parade in the City of Highland Park has always been a safe family event in this greater Chicago, Illinois neighborhood.
Official numbers say there are 6 people dead, and 24 were seriously injured when a shooter attacked participants in the parade at 10:14 a.m. in the area of Central Avenue and 2nd Street in downtown Highland Park. A spokesperson said 4-5 children were among those taken to the trauma center of a local hospital. The sniper shot from a rooftop.
In addition, 9 additional people died in shootings in Chicago this weekend so far, a normal day for the Windy City.
A local resident told eTurboNews: I have no words to say about what happened here in Highland Park. I am saddened by it and shocked. This needs to stop. Abandon assault rifles now! What was the shooter in Highland Park defending today?
Local media reports talk about 60 people shot, and 15 dead. The sniper is at large at the time this article is published. It was reported the shooter was a white local 22-year-old name by the name of Bobby (Robert).
Eyewitnesses told eTurboNews: The gunman shot into the crowd with an automatic rifle from a roof. The gunman is still on the run.
Police are asking residents to stay inside. There is no indication at this time, that others were involved, or that the shooting was terror-related.
Twenty-five miles north of the Chicago Loop, the City of Highland Park is considered an upscale neighborhood in Chicago. It is nestled along beautiful Lake Michigan for nearly five miles, in the heart of the North Shore.
Residents will tell you that it’s more than living in the heart; it’s living with the heart that creates one of the largest, most vibrant, progressive towns north of Chicago.
Residents, businesses, and visitors enjoy our friendly neighborhood shops, nine distinctive business districts, diverse restaurants and entertainment, parks, and an award-winning beach.
Ravinia Festival, numerous events, and festivals fill the community with art and culture.
The Cities website added: “Our diverse housing stock, great schools, and services exceed the needs of our multi-generation families, and create a community full of spirit and energy. Metra train stations and Pace bus stops located throughout the City make Highland Park easily accessible. That’s why nearly 30,000 residents and over 900 businesses are proud to call Highland Park home.”
This shooting is a high-profile event and made national and international media. President Biden already made comments.
However, for Chicago, it seems to be a regular weekend. Data
Data published Friday by the Chicago Police Department shows there have been 310 homicides and 1,255 shootings in the city through the end of June. Both those figures are below the pace set through the first six months of 2021 and 2020.
It means 48 shootings and 12 murders every week in a city of almost 2.7 million people.
This Illinois shooting marks at least the 308th mass shooting in the US this year, according to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit tracking such incidents.
At the same time, guns remain freely available anywhere in the United States of America. Highland Park has some of the strictest gun laws in America. Owning a gun remains a constitutional right, and the powerful gun industry is paying enough to lobby elected officials to follow their commercial interest and less the interest of those that voted such officials into power.
Highland Park is considered safe, family-friendly, and has a low crime rate. The 4th of July is a day Americans should come together.
