Shortly after the Highland Park Fourth of July parade began Monday, a 22-year-old shot into the crowd from a nearby rooftop, killing six people and injuring 31.
The shooter was identified as Robert E. “Bobby” Crimo III and was pulled over by police after a brief pursuit.
“Our community was terrorized by an act of violence that has shaken us to our core,” said Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering.
“On a day when we came together to celebrate community and freedom, we are instead mourning the tragic loss of life,” the mayor added.
It was initially reported that 16 people were injured and five were killed, but Highland Park officials updated the total to six dead and 31 injured.
Chris Covelli, spokesman for the Lake County Crimes Task Force, said multiple victims died at the scene and at least one died after being transported to a hospital.
Those that died were all adults, and least one of those critically injured was a child, according to authorities.
Videos of the shooting show the parade passing through the street before dozens of fired bullets sent people into panic.
“It is devastating that a celebration of America was ripped apart by our uniquely American plague,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at a news conference later that day.
During his speech on the White House lawn, President Biden asked guests awaiting fireworks to observe “a slight moment of silence for all those families”.
“On a serious note, you know, there was a shooter, as you well know, in Highland Park in Chicago. And they have, I talked to the governor and to the mayor, we’re given all the help we can possibly give, including FBI and the Special Service,” he said.
Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to visit Chicago on Tuesday, but it is unclear if she will meet with victims of the parade shooting.