The number of deathly victims of the mass shooting in a July 4 parade in Highland Park (Illinois) increased to seven, local authorities confirmed to several US media.
Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering confirmed to the network CNN that a seventh victim of the attack died this Tuesday, a few minutes before the start of a new press conference by the authorities on the event.
Police in this town north of Chicago revealed that the main suspect in the massacre had spent weeks planning the shooting. He disguised himself in women’s clothing so as not to arouse suspicion while fleeing from him.
The young man was arrested several hours after the attack, after a brief chase without incident.
The attacker had other firearms
Seven people died in the shooting and 39 were injured, according to the latest updated data from the health authorities.
The main suspect, Robert Crimo, has not yet been formally charged. Investigators have confirmed that he purchased the gun in the shooting, a high-caliber rifle, legally. He also had other firearms, which he also purchased legally.
The young man allegedly climbed onto a rooftop near an Independence Day parade in the small town near Chicago and fired indiscriminately “more than 70 times” into the crowd. This was explained on Tuesday by the deputy director of the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Christopher Covelli.
A month ago, 19 children and 2 teachers were shot dead by an 18-year-old who broke into an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, with a semi-automatic rifle that he had purchased legally.
After the Uvalde attack and another that occurred in Buffalo (New York), with 10 deaths, the country’s Congress approved in June to increase control over firearms, with a minimum agreement between Democrats and Republicans.
Death toll climbs to 7 in Illinois Fourth of July parade mass shooting, Highland Park mayor says https://t.co/zM3AZJ25LR
—CNN (@CNN) July 5, 2022
