Outside the police tape, some residents drove up to collect blankets and chairs they abandoned.ĭavid Shapiro, 47, said the spray of gunfire quickly turned the parade into “chaos.” The shots were initially mistaken for fireworks before hundreds of revelers fled in terror.Ī day later, baby strollers, lawn chairs and other items left behind by panicked parade goers remained inside a wide police perimeter. WATCH: Police name ‘person of interest’ for 4th of July parade shooting in Highland ParkĮarlier in the day, FBI agents peeked into trash cans and under picnic blankets as they searched for more evidence at the site where the assailant opened fire. Investigators who have interrogated the suspect and reviewed his social media posts have not determined a motive for the attack or found any indication that he targeted victims by race, religion or other protected status, Covelli said. More than three dozen other people were wounded in the attack, which Covelli said the suspect had planned for several weeks. The day after the shooting, authorities reported the death of a seventh person. His father sponsored his application.Īt the time “there was insufficient basis to establish a clear and present danger” and deny the application, the state police said in a statement. Illinois state police, who issue gun owners’ licenses, said that the gunman applied for a license in December 2019, when he was 19. Police in April 2019 also responded to a reported suicide attempt by the suspect, Covelli said. In all, police said, he purchased five firearms, which were recovered by officers at his father’s home. The suspect legally purchased the rifle used in the attack in Illinois within the past year, Covelli said. Task force spokesman Christopher Covelli said police confiscated 16 knives, a dagger and a sword, but said there was no sign he had any guns at the time. Police said they were called to the suspect’s home in September 2019 after a family member called to say he was threatening “to kill everyone” there. He added that the suspect, if convicted of the murder charges, would receive a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.Ī spokesman for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force told a news conference that the suspected shooter, who was arrested late Monday, used a rifle “similar to an AR-15″ to spray more than 70 rounds from atop a commercial building into a crowd that had gathered for the parade in Highland Park, an affluent community of about 30,000 on the Lake Michigan shore. Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart promised Tuesday that dozens more charges would be sought. (AP) - The man charged Tuesday with seven counts of murder for opening fire at an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago legally bought five weapons, including two high-powered rifles, despite authorities being called to his home twice in 2019 for threats of violence and suicide, police said.
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