No Threat Known to Park Forest, Police Said; Fireworks Set to Launch
Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Out of respect for the mass shooting victims in Highland Park, IL, Park Forest has canceled its 4th of July Parade and concert. Fireworks will launch as planned, officials said.
There was no known or perceived threat to Park Forest, Police Chief Paul Winfrey told News Park Forest, “Not at all.”
A witness reported hearing “20 or 30 rounds” during a Fourth of July Parade in Highland, Illinois. Letham Burns told NBC news:
Just as he was setting up lookout spots for himself, his friend and their five children to enjoy the festivities, Burns, who is a competitive shooter, heard a distinguishable sound.
“We heard 20 to 30 rounds,” he said. “It definitely was semiautomatic, in a rapid cadence.”
Burns shouted to the kids: “Gunfire! Back to the car! Move!” They were about 150 yards from where the shooter was stationed, atop a business, indiscriminately shooting into the crowd with a “high-powered” rifle, police said.
All of the active shooter trainings the children had undergone at school paid off, Burns said. They remained calm and exited quickly. Back home, they tried going to the pool, but helicopters were hovering overhead. And the shooter was still on the loose.
“It’s a very Jewish area. We’re hoping it’s not something that’s instigated by anything more than mental illness,” Burns said.
At least six people are dead, and 26 are reported injured, officials said. Twenty-five of those injured were gunshot victims. Nineteen were treated and sent home, according to a report.
The alleged shooter is described as white, 18-20 years old, with long hair, wearing a blue T-shirt.
