Six killed, 24 injured in July 4 parade mass shooting in Illinois

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On Monday, a gunman embarked on a shooting spree along the route of an Independence Day celebration in the US state of Illinois, according to local authorities.

Officials have reported that the mass shooting resulted in at least six fatalities and perhaps twenty or so "seriously injured" persons. They advised locals to continue to "shelter in place" because the shooter is still at large.

"The Illinois State Police is currently assisting Highland Park PD with an active shooter situation that occurred at the Highland Park Parade," the Midwestern state's police force tweeted. 

The Illinois State Police is currently assisting Highland Park PD with an active shoot situation that occurred at the Highland Park Parade.

The public is advised to avoid the area of Central Ave and 2nd St. in Highland Park.

— IllinoisStatePolice (@ILStatePolice) July 4, 2022

The city near Chicago where the incident occurred, Highland Park, is part of Lake County, which is in charge of that region. The Lake County Sheriff's Office also stated that it was aiding with "a gunshot in the neighborhood of the Independence Day parade route."

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the gunfire started about 10 minutes after the march did. The sheriff's office did not specify if the parade had arrived at that location on the route when the rounds began.

Simultaneously, Highland Park stated that the entire July 4th celebration had been canceled. Authorities did not specify how many individuals had been shot.

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On his account, US Representative Brad Schneider, who was at the event, tweeted, "A shooter struck in Highland Park during the Independence Day parade."  

JUST IN: A shooter opened fire along the path of an Independence Day parade in the US state of Illinois, police say.

"Hearing of loss of life and others injured," US Representative Brad Schneider, who was at the event, said on Twitter.

More to follow on https://t.co/8g7t94bB9u pic.twitter.com/XtkI8t2GZo

— DW News (@dwnews) July 4, 2022

"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!" 

Firearms are responsible for about 40,000 deaths annually in the United States, including suicides as per the website Gun Violence Archive.

Two shootings in May that left 21 people dead, mostly young children, at an elementary school in Texas and 10 Black grocery patrons dead in upstate New York revived the US' bitter debate over gun regulation.

The recent spree of tragic shootings has pushed guns to the forefront of a national debate as US leaders grapple with how to reduce the alarming rate of violence.

However recently, the US Senate passed a bill aimed at curbing the gun violence ravaging the United States, which has been particularly rampant over the past couple of months.

The bill that passed the Senate floor includes narrow restrictions on firearm ownership and allocates several billion dollars to mental health and school security funding.

Yesterday, New York lawmakers adopted a broad revamp of the state's handgun licensing requirements on Friday, hoping to keep certain restrictions on weapons in place after the US Supreme Court ruled that American citizens have the fundamental right to carry arms in public. 

This comes at a time when gun violence has become the main culprit behind children's deaths in the US. 

The bill, which was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul after passing both houses by large margins, is likely certain to spark additional legal challenges from gun rights activists who argue that the state continues to place too many limits on who may obtain weapons and where they can carry them.

After last week's high-court verdict removing the state's long-standing licensing limitations, Hochul, a Democrat, invited the Democrat-controlled Legislature back to Albany to work on the bill.