Highland Park officials and residents react to mass shooting at Fourth of July parade

Multiple people were killed and many others wounded when a gunman started shooting 10 minutes after the Highland Park Fourth of July parade kicked off Monday morning, authorities said.

By WBEZ and Chicago Sun-Times staff
Lexi and Shelly Goldman leave flowers in downtown Highland Park at the scene of the July 4 mass shooting.
Lexi and Shelly Goldman leave flowers in downtown Highland Park at the scene of the July 4 mass shooting. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ
Lexi and Shelly Goldman leave flowers in downtown Highland Park at the scene of the July 4 mass shooting. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ
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Lexi and Shelly Goldman leave flowers in downtown Highland Park at the scene of the July 4 mass shooting.
Lexi and Shelly Goldman leave flowers in downtown Highland Park at the scene of the July 4 mass shooting. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ
Lexi and Shelly Goldman leave flowers in downtown Highland Park at the scene of the July 4 mass shooting. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ
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Highland Park officials and residents react to mass shooting at Fourth of July parade

Multiple people were killed and many others wounded when a gunman started shooting 10 minutes after the Highland Park Fourth of July parade kicked off Monday morning, authorities said.

By WBEZ and Chicago Sun-Times staff
WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

Multiple people were killed and many others were wounded when a gunman started shooting about 10 minutes after the Highland Park Fourth of July parade kicked off Monday morning.

What many parade-goers initially thought was fireworks turned out to be gunfire from a shooter perched atop the roof of a nearby business. As attendees rushed to flee the scene, they left behind the belongings brought to enjoy the holiday celebration. Children’s bikes decorated with red-white-and-blue streamers, lawn chairs, beach balls and flip flops were left behind on the sidewalks lining the parade route.

Authorities quickly began attempting to secure the area and searching for the gunman. More than eight hours after a gunman killed seven people and wounded dozens more by firing a “high-powered rifle” from a rooftop onto a crowd attending the parade, police pulled over and arrested the “person of interest” — identified as Robert E. “Bobby” Crimo III, 21.

WBEZ and Sun-Times photographers and reporters captured photos of authorities and residents in the area throughout the afternoon on Monday in the aftermath of the shooting.

Police and FBI officers escort people away from the parade scene after the shooting in Highland Park on Monday July 4.
Police and FBI officers escort people away from the parade scene after the shooting in Highland Park on Monday July 4. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ
Parade spectators take shelter in shops along the July 4th parade route in Highland Park following a mass shooting.
Parade spectators take shelter in shops along the July 4th parade route in Highland Park following a mass shooting. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ
Local police escort a group of people away from the scene of a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park on Monday, July 4, 2022.
Local police escort a group of people away from the scene of a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park on Monday, July 4, 2022. Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere / Chicago Sun-Times
Parade-goers abandoned their belongings as they fled the Fourth of July celebration.
Parade-goers abandoned their belongings as they fled the Fourth of July celebration. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ
Abandoned chairs sit on the streets of downtown Highland Park on July 4.
When parade-goers set up their chairs in downtown Highland Park on the morning of July 4, they did not anticipate having to flee for their lives. Shoes, water bottles and American flags are among some of the items left behind. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ
Adorned with American flags to celebrate patriotic pride, a red car stands abandoned on the closed street in downtown Highland Park.
Adorned with American flags to celebrate patriotic pride, a red car stands abandoned on the closed street in downtown Highland Park. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ
Police climb a fire exit staircase as they search downtown Highland Park in an attempt to secure the area after a mass shooting took place on July 4.
Police climb a fire exit staircase as they search downtown Highland Park in an attempt to secure the area after a mass shooting took place on July 4. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ
Police search the downtown area of the Chicago suburb of Highland Park after a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade Monday.
Police search the downtown area of the Chicago suburb of Highland Park after a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade Monday. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ
Police search downtown Highland Park and observe the area. The suspect has fired shots from a rooftop of a business nearby.
Police search downtown Highland Park and observe the area. The suspect has fired shots from a rooftop of a business nearby. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ
Police search the downtown area of the Chicago suburb of Highland Park after a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade Monday.
Police search the downtown area of the Chicago suburb of Highland Park after a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade Monday. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ
Traffic is blocked off near Hidden Creek Aqua Park in Highland Park as police secure the area following a mass shooting incident downtown.
Traffic is blocked off near Hidden Creek Aqua Park in Highland Park as police secure the area following a mass shooting incident downtown. Manuel Martinez / WBEZ