A 22-year-old Robert ‘Bobby’ E. Crimo III, who opened fire at a Fourth of July parade at Highland Park, Illinois, United States is described as a person of interest by the police.
At least, six people were killed and about two dozens injured following the shooting in USA created on July 4, 1776.
The suspected shooter is at large and is believed to be “armed and dangerous,” according to police.
Lake County Task Force spokesperson Chris Covelli said the shooting was “very random” and “very intentional,” and the suspect was discrete and difficult to see.
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The rifle has been recovered from the roof and is currently being investigated.
Police said the shooter is a white male with long black hair and a small build.
They named Robert E. Crimo III as a person of interest and said he is driving a silver Honda Fit and is from the area. Police released a photo of the suspect that shows tattoos on his face and neck.
More than 100 officers are currently searching for the suspect with the help of the FBI and SWAT teams.
Buildings and businesses in the area have been cleared, and residents have been told to shelter in place.
“He could be in the city. He could be somewhere else,” Covelli said.
Enough is enough
US Representative Brad Schneider, who was at the parade, said on Twitter that “a shooter struck in Highland Park during the Independence Day parade.”
“Hearing of loss of life and others injured. My condolences to the family and loved ones; my prayers for the injured and for my community,” he wrote, adding: “Enough is enough!”
The shooting is part of a wave of gun violence plaguing the United States, where approximately 40,000 deaths a year are caused by firearms, including suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive website.
The debate over gun control — a deeply divisive issue in the country — was reignited by two massacres in May that saw 10 Black supermarket shoppers gunned down in upstate New York and 21 people, mostly young children, slain at an elementary school in Texas.
Congress passed the first significant bill on gun safety in decades in the wake of those killings. President Joe Biden signed it into law in late June, saying that while it falls short of what is really needed, it will still save lives.
But a day earlier, proponents of tougher firearms laws suffered a setback when the US Supreme Court ruled that Americans have a fundamental right to carry a handgun in public, a landmark decision with far-reaching implications for states and cities across the country trying to rein in gun violence. (AFP)
