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Chaos reigned Monday morning (local time) during a Fourth of July parade[/B] in Highland Park, Illinois[/B], when an unknown person opened fire, causing panic among both event participants and spectators.
At least six people died and another 20 were injured by the gunman, who remains unidentified.
Many parade participants reported hearing at least 20-25 gunshots about ten minutes into the parade and people began running, seeking safety. All while there was a police presence at the parade.
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Witnesses claimed to have seen at least five bloodied people lying on the ground and another under a blanket, according to the Chicago Sun Times, while a reporter for the same newspaper said he saw three people lying unconscious on the street.
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Firefighters and paramedics on scene reported via radio that approximately nine people had been shot. That number has not been officially confirmed, but several ambulances were seen transporting victims to the hospital.
Some parade attendees said they saw the gunman on the roof of a building, and police have launched a manhunt to locate him. About an hour after the shooting, police said the incident was still "active".
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A producer for CBS-2 television channel who was on the scene, Elissa Kaufman, said that "everyone was "running, hiding and screaming. "People were screaming that there was a shooter," a Highland Park resident, Debbie Glickman, told The Associated Press. "So we started running. We just ran. It was chaos over there." Glickman said, however, that she did not hear any noise or see anyone injured.
Highland Park authorities confirmed on Facebook that police responded to an "incident" in the area and that festivities were canceled and citizens were asked to stay away from the area.
Brad Snyder, who represents the state of Illinois in the House of Representatives, was in that city, on the shores of Lake Michigan, when the gunfire was heard. "My campaign team members and I had just met for the start of the parade when the shooting started," he tweeted."
Source: Proto Thema
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