Source: Politics<\/p>\n
At least five people are dead and 19 were taken to hospitals after a shooting at a July Fourth parade in a Chicago suburb, and officers are searching for a suspect, police said Monday.<\/p>\n
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the parade began around 10 a.m. but it was suddenly halted 10 minutes later after shots were fired. A Sun-Times reporter saw blankets placed over three bloodied bodies. Several witnesses told the newspaper that they heard gunfire.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of parade-goers \u2014 some visibly bloodied \u2014 fled the parade route, leaving behind chairs, baby strollers and blankets.<\/p>\n
Police told people: \u201cEverybody disperse, please. It is not safe to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Highland Park Police said in a statement early Monday afternoon that five people had been killed and 19 people were taken to hospitals. It was unclear if the five dead were among the 19 hospitalized.<\/p>\n
The police said authorities are still searching for the suspect.<\/p>\n
Video shot by a Sun-Times journalist after the gunfire rang out shows a band on a float continuing to play as people run past, screaming. A photo posted to social media appeared to show pools of blood near upturned chairs in downtown Highland Park.<\/p>\n
Gina Troiani and her son were lined up with his daycare class ready to walk onto the parade route when she heard a loud sound that she believed was fireworks \u2014 until she heard people yell about a shooter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just start running in the opposite direction,\u201d she told The Associated Press.<\/p>\n
Her 5-year-old son was riding his bike decorated with red and blue curled ribbons. He and other children in the group held small American flags. The city said on it\u2019s website that the festivities were to include a children\u2019s bike and pet parade.<\/p>\n
Troiani said she pushed her son\u2019s bike, running through the neighborhood to get back to their car.<\/p>\n
In a video that Troiani shot on her phone, some of the kids are visibly startled at the loud noise and they scramble to the side of the road as a siren wails nearby.<\/p>\n
It was just sort of chaos,\u201d she said. \u201cThere were people that got separated from their families, looking for them. Others just dropped their wagons, grabbed their kids and started running.\u201d<\/p>\n
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a tweet that he is \u201cclosely monitoring the situation in Highland Park\u201d and that Illinois State Police are assisting. The ISP said in an email that it was assisting in the response to an active shooter reported around 10:24 a.m.<\/p>\n
The Lake County Sheriff\u2019s Office said on Twitter that it is assisting Highland Park Police \u201cwith a shooting in the area of the Independence Day parade route.\u201d The sheriff\u2019s office directed an AP reporter to contact Highland Park Police. The Police Department said no one was immediately available to comment.<\/p>\n
Debbie Glickman, a Highland Park resident, said she was on a parade float with coworkers and the group was preparing to turn onto the main route when she saw people running from the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople started saying: \u2018There\u2019s a shooter, there\u2019s a shooter, there\u2019s a shooter,\u2019\u201d Glickman told the Associated Press. \u201cSo we just ran. We just ran. It\u2019s like mass chaos down there.\u201d<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t hear any noises or see anyone who appeared to be injured.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so freaked out,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s just so sad.\u201d<\/p>\n