Firing took place during the Freedom Day Parade in Chicago on America’s Independence Day (July 4). The incident took place in Highland Park in the state of Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. According to the police, 6 people have died in the attack, while 31 people have been injured. The injured have been admitted to hospital.
The parade started at 10 am but was stopped after 10 minutes of firing. Hundreds of people had gathered to see it. The sheriff’s office has asked local people to stay away from the scene. According to the police, the attacker opened fire indiscriminately from the roof of a store. The search is on for the attacker by cordoning off the area.
There was panic after the shelling during the parade. People were seen running to save their lives.
The attacker is 18 to 20 years old
, according to local media reports, shortly after the parade started, one of the attackers started firing from the roof of the store. Highland Park Security Chief Chris O’Neill said police were searching for the suspected attacker.
According to Neil, the attacker is a youth of 18 to 20 years. He is fair in complexion and has long hair. He is wearing a white or blue T-shirt. Police have recovered a gun from the spot. People have been asked to stay indoors.
After the firing, traces of blood were also seen on the spot, people had gathered here in large numbers to participate in the parade.
A man was lying on the ground at the scene, according to a report by the Chicago Sun-Times . His body was covered with a blanket. At the same time, about 5-6 people are lying on the ground covered in blood. A local resident, Miles Zeremsky, told me – I heard 20 to 25 shots, which were happening continuously one after the other. So it simply could not be a handgun or shotgun. Last year also there was an incident of firing on Freedom Day. 19 lives were lost in it.
After the firing, panicked people ran away leaving their belongings. Trolley and chairs scattered on the spot.
People were shouting – someone is a shooter.. is a shooter… He suddenly heard the sound of people screaming. People were running out of mischief for their lives. They were saying – run away from here.. someone is a shooter.. someone is a shooter… is raining bullets. Although I did not see any injured. But the fear of the people was tragic.
Police have beefed up security around the spot. Along with this, the local people have been asked to stay away from the area.
FBI cooperation to nab the attacker
A spokesman for the FBI Chicago said a police team has been deployed to the scene. We are yet to nab the attacker, but we will nab the culprit soon. The team of dog squad has also reached and the police has gathered to nab the attacker.
Police have sealed the area. Police are stationed at every entrance and exit. Now the police is trying to nab the attacker.
Population of Highland Park 30,000
According to US Census data, the Highland Park where the shooting took place is home to about 30,000 people and their income is three times that of the rest of the country.
During the attack, people were running to save their lives, during which many people tried to enter a store and the store was damaged.
Read also two old cases of gun culture in America…
1. Firing in the school killed 19 children
On May 24, 2022, there was a firing incident in a school in the province of Texas, in which 19 children were killed. The killer was studying in the same school. During the shootout, the killer was killed by the police. After this incident, President Joe Biden said that strict action would be taken.
2. Firing took place in the factory a month ago.
About a month ago, two people entered a machine factory in Maryland, USA and opened fire. Two laborers were killed in the attack. 4 people were seriously injured. The police had said that one of the accused was arrested in this case.
However, users on social media were talking about the arrest of both the attackers. After the incident, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had surrounded the entire area.
Why gun culture can’t be controlled in America
- America has not ended its gun culture even after 230 years. There are two main reasons for this. First- Many Americans have been advocating for maintaining this culture from the President to the Governor of the states there. From Theodore Roosevelt to Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter, George Bush Sr., George W. Bush and Donald Trump, many US presidents have advocated gun culture.
- According to a Gallup 2020 report, 91% of Democratic Party members were in favor of a strict gun law, while only 24% of the Republican Party were in favor of it. Joe Biden is from the Democratic Party, while Donald Trump is from the Republican Party.
- The second reason gun manufacturers, ie the gun lobby, is also the main reason for the survival of this culture. According to a 2019 report, there were 63 thousand licensed gun dealers in the US, who sold guns worth Rs 83 thousand crores to American citizens that year.
- The National Rifle Association (NRI) is the most powerful gun lobby in America, which spends a lot of money to influence the members of parliament there. This powerful lobby has been opposing changes to the proposed Second Constitutional Amendment to end gun culture.
- In many US elections, the pro-gun lobby has spent more money than the lobby demanding a ban on guns. In 2020, the pro-gun lobby spent about $32 million, while the anti-gun lobby was able to spend $22 million.
- Several US states have also been lifting gun restrictions. In June 2021, Texas passed a bill allowing its citizens to own handguns without a license and training. In April 2021, another US state, Georgia, allowed civilians to keep weapons without a permit and license.