July 4, 2022 Highland Park, Illinois, parade shooting
By Aditi Sangal, Elise Hammond, Maureen Chowdhury, Mike Hayes, Melissa Macaya, Steve Almasy and Ritu Prasad, CNN
Updated 3:48 p.m. ET, July 5, 2022
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6:19 p.m. ET, July 4, 2022
Injured victims ranged in age from 8 to 85, doctor says
From CNN’s Chuck Johnston
A total of 26 patients were received at Highland Park Hospital, according to Dr. Brigham Temple, medical director of NorthShore University Health System.
Here's what he said about the patients:
Ten of those individuals came by ambulance, according to Temple.
Temple said 25 of those individuals did sustain gunshot wound injuries.
Temple says that 19 of the 25 gunshot victims were treated and have been discharged home.
Two patients were transported to Evanston Hospital, Temple said.
The patients ranged in age from 8 years old to 85 years old, according to Temple.
Four or five of the patients were children, according to Temple.
6:19 p.m. ET, July 4, 2022
Catch up: Here's what to know so far about the deadly 4th of July parade shooting in Highland Park
From CNN staff
A woman wipes tears after a shooting at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, on July 4. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)
At least six people were killed and two dozen were injured in a shooting at a 4th of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois. It 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.
Highland Park Police is leading the investigation and the Lake County Major Crime Task Force is working directly with the FBI, said Chris Covelli, spokesperson for the task force, in a news conference. The suspect is still at large and considered to be armed and dangerous.
Here's what we know so far as the manhunt continues:
Where it happened: Highland Park, Illinois, is located about 25 miles north of downtown Chicago. Police say the shooting started about 20 minutes from the start of the parade.
The suspected shooter: Cmdr. Chris O’Neil, incident commander, said on Monday that the suspect is a White male between 18-20 years old, has longer black hair, a small build and is wearing a white or blue t-shirt. The suspect has not been identified. Police say they combed through social media to try to identify threats on the parade, but said the suspect was "discreet."
The shooting: Sgt. Christopher Covelli, from the Lake County Major Crime Task Force, said police have recovered a "high-powered rifle" on the rooftop of a business. Police say they believe the shooter was on the rooftop when he opened fire. Covelli said the suspect likely accessed the roof from a ladder in an alley. Officials have not disclosed where the building is specifically. A firearm that was recovered in Highland Park after the shooting is being urgently traced to figure out who purchased the weapon and where it came from, according to Kim Nerheim, spokesperson with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The victims: Five of the people that were killed during the shooting died at the scene, Jennifer Banek, the Lake County coroner, said. All of those people were adults, she said. Another person died after they were transported to a local hospital, she added. Covelli said that it appeared that spectators and parade participants were targeted. Dr. Brigham Temple, of the NorthShore University Health System, said 26 people in total were brought to the hospital and 25 had gunshot injuries. At least 19 people were treated and discharged home. The victims age ranged from 8 to 85 years old, Temple added.
Witnesses: Several people who attended the parade told CNN they thought the gunshots were fireworks at first. Zoe Pawelczak said when she realized something was wrong, she grabbed her dad and started running. Others described the scene as chaotic as people ran away and took shelter.
Authorities are asking that anyone with photos or videos from the parade when the shooting started to contact Highland Park police at 847 432-7720.
CNN'S Eric Levenson, Adrienne Broaddus, Shawn Nottingham and Brynn Gingras contributed reporting to this post.
6:18 p.m. ET, July 4, 2022
At least one child transported to hospital who was "critically injured," Highland Park Fire chief says
From CNN’s Joe Sutton
Authorities were asked if any children were transported to the hospital from the scene of the parade shooting and the city fire chief said at least one child was transported.
“At least one of those was a child,” Highland Park Fire Chief Joe Schrage said.
Schrage went on to say, “They were critically injured.”
When asked for clarification on who he was referencing was critically injured, Schrage said “just the child.”
The chief did not have information on the age range.
Some of the victims injured had gunshot wounds and varied from the abdomen to limbs, Schrage went on to say.
6:18 p.m. ET, July 4, 2022
Shelter in place order remains for Highland Park parade route and central business district, authorities say
From CNN’s Joe Sutton
An armed law enforcement officer patrols the scene of the Fourth of July parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, on July 4. (Youngrae Kim/AFP/Getty Images)
City authorities held a second news conference Monday afternoon to give an update on the mass shooting that left at least six people dead during a July 4th parade in Highland Park, Illinois.
The parade's route, downtown Highland Park and the city's central business districts remain an active crime scene, Highland Park Police Commander Chris O’Neill said. Authorities are recommending that people living in that area continue to shelter in place.
"Currently we have an active crime scene in our central business district. The perimeter is Green Bay road to Laurel avenue to St. Johns Avenue to Elm Place. And we have police personnel in that area continuing the investigation and clearing businesses and buildings," O'Neill said.
Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek said there are five adults dead at the scene of the shooting. Those individuals have been identified and officials are working to notify their families.
Banek went on to say another deceased victim was taken to a hospital.
Highland Park Fire Chief Joe Schrage shared information those injured in the shooting, saying that nearly two dozen people were transported to area hospitals by first responders:
10 to Highland Park Hospital
6 to Lake Forest Hospital
7 to Evanston Hospital
Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Chief Chris Covelli added there were also self-transports to area hospitals, and that the total number of people hospitalized may be higher than is currently understood.
4:49 p.m. ET, July 4, 2022
Chicago White Sox will host tonight's game but scheduled fireworks canceled following shooting
From CNN's David Close
Major League Baseball's Chicago White Sox announced the team will host the Minnesota Twins as scheduled Monday night -- but a pre-planned fireworks celebration has been canceled.
A moment of silence will also be observed for those impacted by Monday's shooting outside of Chicago in Highland Park, Illinois.
"Our hearts are with the Highland Park community. The entire Chicago White Sox organization expresses our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the innocent victims of today's horrific shooting and all of those who have been affected by this tragedy. After consulting with Major League Baseball, tonight's scheduled game against Minnesota will take place at 7:10 p.m. However, the postgame fireworks celebration is canceled. A moment of silence will be held before the start of tonight’s game."
6:18 p.m. ET, July 4, 2022
Suspect used a ladder in an alley to access roof of business, police say
Sgt. Chris Covelli speaks at the scene of the Fourth of July parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, on July 4. (Youngrae Kim/AFP/Getty Images)
Sgt. Chris Covelli, of the Lake County Major Crime Task Force, said police believe the shooting suspect got onto the roof of a business by using a ladder in an alley.
"It looks like access to the roof via a ladder in an alley was unsecure," he said, adding that the ladder was attached to the building.
Police said previously that they recovered a rifle on the roof of a building where they believe the shooter was, but have not disclosed the exact location.
Covelli said law enforcement is working to determine if the suspect is still within the perimeter they are investigating. He said officers are using drones and other technology to try to locate the suspect.
6:18 p.m. ET, July 4, 2022
5 people dead at the scene were adults, coroner says
A police officer reacts as he walks in downtown Highland Park, Chicago, on July 4. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)
Jennifer Banek, the Lake County coroner, said six people were killed in a shooting at a parade in Highland Park, Illinois. Of those, five of them were dead on the scene and one died at the hospital, according to Banek.
She said all five who died on the site of the parade were adults. She did not have information on the age of the sixth victim.
"There was one that was transported to a local hospital that also died at the hospital. I don't have any additional information on that victim," she said.
6:17 p.m. ET, July 4, 2022
Witness says they realized a shooting happened after seeing a man with a wound on his head
From CNN’s Liam Reilly
Jeff Leon, an attendee of Highland Park’s Fourth of July parade, says he heard what “sounded like a string of firecrackers going off inside of a big metal trash bin,” while he was seated across from the Bluemercury store.
Leon said he heard maybe 20 or 30 pops before looking to his right and seeing police movement and people falling, that’s when he and his wife took off.
Leon and his wife were at the parade because their 14-year-old twin boys were marching with the high school football team but the boys still hadn’t come down the parade route when the gunshots broke out, he told CNN’s Victor Blackwell.
“We were going to try to get them,” Leon explained adding that “after about 10 minutes of this sort of duck and hide, duck and hide, people were sort of calmly walking away from the scene.”
Leon and his wife say they saw a man “who had an obvious extremely deep bullet graze wound along the right side of his head above the temple,” and that’s when they both realized that it wasn’t firecrackers or fireworks that went off, but it was in fact a shooting.
Leon said that a shooting in the Highland Park community in Illinois is “just inconceivable.”
4:14 p.m. ET, July 4, 2022
Highland Park airspace is now restricted
From CNN's Pete Muntean
The Federal Aviation Administration is banning aircraft from flying over the Highland Park, Illinois, mass shooting scene, as authorities continue to search for the shooter.
A five-mile Temporary Flight Restriction is in effect up to 3,000 feet above the ground except for "relief aircraft" under the direction of the Highland Park Police Department.
