The suspect was arrested after the deadly gun attack at a US National Day parade near Chicago. The 22-year-old is in police custody, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said on Monday.
The newspaper “Chicago Sun-Times” reported, citing the police, that the suspect was arrested without incident. He was therefore spotted on a freeway near the city of Chicago and arrested after a short chase.
At least six people were killed in the attack on Independence Day, July 4, in Highland Park, Illinois, north of Chicago. Around 25 other people aged 8 to 85 were treated for gunshot wounds, including several children, said a doctor from a hospital near the scene.
Authorities: Sagittarius had a “powerful rifle”
According to police, the shooter opened fire with a rifle from a roof at the crowd who were attending a holiday parade. A gun was secured at the scene. According to the authorities, it was a “powerful rifle”. Assault rifles are usually used for such bloody crimes in the USA.
After the attack, police released the identity of the 22-year-old suspect. He was initially officially referred to as a “person of interest”. Police warned the young man was believed to be armed and “very dangerous”. He was therefore traveling in a silver-colored car. Mugshots were released.
Hundreds of police officers searched the area after the incident, and special units went door to door. A helicopter was also in use, according to the Chicago police. The FBI was also involved in the investigation.
Witnesses report several shots
The first shots were reportedly fired at 10:14 a.m. local time and sparked panic in the small town on the shores of Lake Michigan, where hundreds of people had gathered to celebrate Independence Day. A reporter from the Chicago Sun-Times reported bloodied bodies covered with blankets. Local television stations reported people running screaming or seeking cover.
An eyewitness, given the first name Michael, told WGN that he saw a lone armed gunman “crouching and advancing methodically, almost like a military man.” People threw themselves on the ground and then ran away while pools of blood formed on the ground, he said.
Another eyewitness, Miles Zaremski, told CNN that he saw several injured and lifeless people lying on the ground. “It was heartbreaking.” He said he heard around 30 pops. People fled the parade. “It was just chaotic.” Television footage showed police officers driving through empty streets with camp chairs abandoned in the panic on the sidewalks.
“Enough is enough!”
Democratic Congressman Brad Schneider said he was there. He tweeted that he and his team were safe. He expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and promised to work for more security. “Enough is enough!” said Schneider.
US President Joe Biden was shocked by the “senseless gun violence that has once again brought grief to an American community”. He thanked the emergency services. He offered the governor and the mayor the full support of the government. “I recently signed into law the first major bipartisan gun reform bill in almost thirty years, which includes measures that will save lives,” he said. “But there is still much more to be done and I will not give up the fight against the gun violence epidemic.”
Around 40,000 deaths from firearms every year
Gun attacks are common in the United States. Recently, the debate about tightening gun laws after the massacre at a Texas elementary school in late May that killed 21 people was reignited. Firearms are relatively easy to obtain in the United States.
Around 40,000 people are killed by gun violence in the United States each year, including suicide. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been around 22,000 so far in 2022.
US Supreme Court overturns gun law
Last month, amid the shooting rampages in Texas and elsewhere, Congress passed a bipartisan gun violence law that fell far short of Biden’s proposed reforms. Experts rated the tightening of gun laws as the most important since the mid-1990s. The content of the law, however, is only a non-partisan minimum compromise, which critics reprimand as completely inadequate.
The law, signed by Biden late last month, provides for more intensive screening of gun buyers under the age of 21. In addition, it is about extending laws from states to be able to take weapons from potential threats. Illegal arms trafficking should be punishable at the federal level. In addition, billions are to flow into mental health care and anti-violence programs. Additional funds are also earmarked for the safety of schools. The ban on assault rifles demanded by Biden and his Democrats is missing from the law.
Amid the debate over gun violence, the US Supreme Court extended the right to carry guns in public last month. The Supreme Court in Washington overturned a more than 100-year-old New York state law that required you to have valid reason to obtain a license to carry a handgun concealed outside the home.
