An unnamed shooter who opened fire on unprepared onlookers from a rooftop during a mass shooting at an Independence Day parade in a suburb outside of Chicago on Monday left at least six people dead, wounded almost two dozen more, and started a large manhunt for him.
The shooting in Highland Park, some 25 miles north of Chicago, began just after 10 a.m. CT as parade watchers enjoyed a bright Fourth of July march down Central Avenue.
Police have identified the attacker as a Caucasian male between the ages of 18 and 20 who is “armed and dangerous” and who they believe randomly chose to start the fire on parade spectators while brandishing a powerful weapon.
Police searched for the suspect for more than six hours after the incident, concentrating their search on the parade route, the downtown area, and the central business district with the help of police dogs and drones. The culprit has still not been found.
Brigham Temple, the medical director for emergency preparedness at Northshore Medical Group, revealed during a news conference that although the victims’ names have not been made public, 26 patients were first assessed at Highland Park Hospital.
25 of them, who were shot, were between the ages of 8 and 85. He asserted that 19 of the patients received care before being released.
Some of the surviving patients, according to Temple, had life-threatening and serious illnesses. According to him, several of them were transferred to nearby trauma centers. According to Temple, the hospital treated perhaps four or five kids.
Highland Park Fire Chief Joe Schrage said six persons were brought to Lake Forest Hospital and seven were sent to Evanston Hospital.
