A woman runs after a shooting took place during a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois on Monday. (Photo: Screenshot/ Video by Lynn Sweet)
Jul 04, 2022
Panicked children and adults ran for their lives Monday as at least six people were killed and dozens more were wounded in a mass shooting that took place during a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park.
"Freedom to die at a holiday parade is not freedom."
Veteran Chicago Sun-Times reporter Lynn Sweet--who described the scene of the shooting as a "bloodbath"--said she saw blankets covering three bloodied bodies and five other people wounded and bloodied near the parade viewing stand.
More than 30 people who were wounded--mostly by gunshots but some from the ensuing chaos at the parade--were taken to local hospitals.
"We have an active shooter situation in Highland Park, at their parade. It's been reported that there've been nine people shot," Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said. "I've been in touch with our state police, who are backing up local police and hoping to keep the crowd safe there."
\u201cMy video.. I was at #Highland Park parade.. Terrified people fleeing July 4th parade when shooting started.\u201d— Lynn Sweet (@Lynn Sweet) 1656951524
Highland Park resident Miles Zaremski told the paper: "I heard 20 to 25 shots, which were in rapid succession. So it couldn't have been just a handgun or a shotgun."
CBS Chicago digital producer Elyssa Kaufman, who was watching the parade with her family, said that "everyone was running, hiding and screaming."
"It was extremely terrifying," she added. "It was very scary. We are very fortunate, we got out very quickly."
Gun control advocates lamented the latest of more than 300 U.S. mass shootings this year.
\u201cA mass shooting caused people to run for their lives at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, IL.\n\nMultiple people are reported dead or injured.\n\nThis is not normal. We should be able to live free of the fear of being shot.\u201d— Giffords (@Giffords) 1656955506
"Another horrifying day in America," tweeted anti-poverty activist Joe Sanberg. "We must do everything we can to end gun violence."
Democratic Kentucky U.S. Senate candidate Charles Booker tweeted that "freedom to die at a holiday parade is not freedom," while Ohio progressive Nina Turner asked, "What freedom do we have if we fear being gunned down at a parade?"
Separately, at least nine people were killed and scores more were wounded--with the injured ranging in age from 10 to 90--in Chicago shootings over the July 4th weekend.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Panicked children and adults ran for their lives Monday as at least six people were killed and dozens more were wounded in a mass shooting that took place during a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park.
"Freedom to die at a holiday parade is not freedom."
Veteran Chicago Sun-Times reporter Lynn Sweet--who described the scene of the shooting as a "bloodbath"--said she saw blankets covering three bloodied bodies and five other people wounded and bloodied near the parade viewing stand.
More than 30 people who were wounded--mostly by gunshots but some from the ensuing chaos at the parade--were taken to local hospitals.
"We have an active shooter situation in Highland Park, at their parade. It's been reported that there've been nine people shot," Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said. "I've been in touch with our state police, who are backing up local police and hoping to keep the crowd safe there."
\u201cMy video.. I was at #Highland Park parade.. Terrified people fleeing July 4th parade when shooting started.\u201d— Lynn Sweet (@Lynn Sweet) 1656951524
Highland Park resident Miles Zaremski told the paper: "I heard 20 to 25 shots, which were in rapid succession. So it couldn't have been just a handgun or a shotgun."
CBS Chicago digital producer Elyssa Kaufman, who was watching the parade with her family, said that "everyone was running, hiding and screaming."
"It was extremely terrifying," she added. "It was very scary. We are very fortunate, we got out very quickly."
Gun control advocates lamented the latest of more than 300 U.S. mass shootings this year.
\u201cA mass shooting caused people to run for their lives at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, IL.\n\nMultiple people are reported dead or injured.\n\nThis is not normal. We should be able to live free of the fear of being shot.\u201d— Giffords (@Giffords) 1656955506
"Another horrifying day in America," tweeted anti-poverty activist Joe Sanberg. "We must do everything we can to end gun violence."
Democratic Kentucky U.S. Senate candidate Charles Booker tweeted that "freedom to die at a holiday parade is not freedom," while Ohio progressive Nina Turner asked, "What freedom do we have if we fear being gunned down at a parade?"
Separately, at least nine people were killed and scores more were wounded--with the injured ranging in age from 10 to 90--in Chicago shootings over the July 4th weekend.
Panicked children and adults ran for their lives Monday as at least six people were killed and dozens more were wounded in a mass shooting that took place during a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park.
"Freedom to die at a holiday parade is not freedom."
Veteran Chicago Sun-Times reporter Lynn Sweet--who described the scene of the shooting as a "bloodbath"--said she saw blankets covering three bloodied bodies and five other people wounded and bloodied near the parade viewing stand.
More than 30 people who were wounded--mostly by gunshots but some from the ensuing chaos at the parade--were taken to local hospitals.
"We have an active shooter situation in Highland Park, at their parade. It's been reported that there've been nine people shot," Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said. "I've been in touch with our state police, who are backing up local police and hoping to keep the crowd safe there."
\u201cMy video.. I was at #Highland Park parade.. Terrified people fleeing July 4th parade when shooting started.\u201d— Lynn Sweet (@Lynn Sweet) 1656951524
Highland Park resident Miles Zaremski told the paper: "I heard 20 to 25 shots, which were in rapid succession. So it couldn't have been just a handgun or a shotgun."
CBS Chicago digital producer Elyssa Kaufman, who was watching the parade with her family, said that "everyone was running, hiding and screaming."
"It was extremely terrifying," she added. "It was very scary. We are very fortunate, we got out very quickly."
Gun control advocates lamented the latest of more than 300 U.S. mass shootings this year.
\u201cA mass shooting caused people to run for their lives at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, IL.\n\nMultiple people are reported dead or injured.\n\nThis is not normal. We should be able to live free of the fear of being shot.\u201d— Giffords (@Giffords) 1656955506
"Another horrifying day in America," tweeted anti-poverty activist Joe Sanberg. "We must do everything we can to end gun violence."
Democratic Kentucky U.S. Senate candidate Charles Booker tweeted that "freedom to die at a holiday parade is not freedom," while Ohio progressive Nina Turner asked, "What freedom do we have if we fear being gunned down at a parade?"
Separately, at least nine people were killed and scores more were wounded--with the injured ranging in age from 10 to 90--in Chicago shootings over the July 4th weekend.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.