Six people were killed and about two dozen were injured in a shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the wealthy Chicago suburb of Highland Park on Monday, officials said, as panicked spectators fled the scene.
The parade was suddenly halted when shots were fired about 10 minutes after it began, sending hundreds of people running for safety, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
The shooter appeared to have fired from a rooftop, police said. “This doesn’t happen here,” said a witness who ran to safety with his family. “It shouldn’t happen anywhere.”
Officials told a news conference that six people were killed and 24 taken to hospital, and that a rifle was recovered from the scene.
“Law enforcement agencies are searching for the suspect; evidence of a firearm has been recovered,” the city of Highland Park reported on its website. “Numerous law enforcement officers are responding and have secured a perimeter around downtown Highland Park.”
