As the Highland Park, Ill., July 4th parade commenced heading down Central Avenue in one of Chicago’s most Jewish suburbs, gunshots rang out at approximately 10:19 a.m. CST from the rooftop of Gearhead Outfitters on Central Avenue.
Thousands of panicked revelers who had been enjoying the parade chaotically rushed for safety, with parents frantically shielding their children.
It is unclear how many were struck and initial reports indicate that six people have been killed and at least 24 transported to local hospitals.
Police were still searching for the gunman hours after the shooting. He was described by Highland Park police as a white man between 18 and 20 years old with a small build and longer black hair. He is wearing a white or blue T-shirt, according to Highland Park Police Cmmd. Chris O’Neill.
“We’re asking everybody to stay indoors,” said Lake County Sgt. Christopher Covelli. “Stay vigilant right now. This person has not been identified. By all means, at this point, this appears to be completely random.”
The annual Fourth of July Celebration, hosted by the city of Highland Park, features floats (including Chabad’s giant menorah), marching bands, and other special entertainment and draws a crowd of thousands.
Michla Schanowitz, co-director of North Suburban Lubavitch Chabad—Central Avenue Synagogue, was outside her Chabad center at the heart of the parade’s route, just four blocks away from the shooting, when she saw crowds running toward her.
Chabad had a table set up outside the center offering passersby a chance to put on tefillin or take a Shabbat candle kit, manned by four young rabbinical students from Chabad’s Yeshivas Ohr Eliyahu Lubavitch Mesivta of Chicago.
“The parade had barely started. All of a sudden, I see everyone running towards us,” Schanowitz tells Chabad.org. She began rushing people to safety inside her Chabad center immediately. “Come inside, it’s a synagogue,” she shouted to the stunned passersby.
Schanowitz reports that her student volunteers are all safe and accounted for.
“The community is in absolute shock,” her husband Rabbi Yosef Schanowitz told Chabad.org from the Emergency Department at the Highland Park Hospital where he was visiting victims of the attack. “People should pray for Highland park and do an extra act of good for us,” he said.
The Schanowitzes have served the Highland Park area Jewish community since 1980 when they established Chabad in the area. Chabad in Highland Park’s base of operations is on Central Avenue, the main thoroughfare for the city where the parade was held today, and a few blocks west of where the attack took place. In addition to The Central Avenue Synagogue, Chabad in Highland Park, with assistance of the Skolnick family, runs a popular Hebrew School program for children, and a plethora of adult and children’s educational programming.
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The July 4th parade annually has a strong Jewish presence, with Chabad running a float complete with a giant menorah and providing other Jewish experiences for participants.
“Our kids were at the parade, near the shul, with a lot of others,” says local resident Dovid Weissman. “As soon as they heard there was a shooting, they ran home. Right now, we are all sheltering at home, waiting for the shooter to be found. People have been posting on our community WhatsApp group, sharing word that they are OK.”
As word of the attack in Highland Park spread, parades in neighboring suburbs were canceled as well. In Skokie, the parade was called off just before Lubavitch Chabad of Skokie’s Mitzvah Tank was about to roll down the parade route, festooned with a large American flag and stocked with thousands of magnets encouraging goodness and kindness.
“We understand that prudence dictated that the parade be called off,” says Rabbi Yochanan Posner of Lubavitch Chabad of Skokie. “But we will persist in spreading the message of gratitude to the United States of America for giving us freedom and being conducive to a society which values goodness and kindness. So, while there is tragically no formal parade today, our ‘parade’ of a single vehicle will be traveling the streets of Skokie and proclaiming that message.”
“This makes me feel that we need to be doing even more,” says Schanowitz. “The Rebbe wants us to bring more light and more positivity to our surroundings.”
But who needs gun control, right? Thanks Republicans! These deaths are on your hands.
Chicago has some of the strictest gun control laws in America
there are gun shops along the border of chicago the city. they know how to do business
The shooting didn’t happen in Chicago
What is your definition of gun control?
Is murder not already illegal? Is pointing a weapon at another not already illegal? Is firing a weapon in an unsafe manner not already illegal? There are at least three legal violations listed right there.
that these things happen mostly in Democrat-run areas. So we can conclude that Democrat rule is hazardous to human life, and should be outlawed.
That’s just not true. Also there’s this amazing concept called “crossing state lines.” If you use whatever remaining brain cells you may have left, though it doesn’t seem like a lot, imagine someone buys a gun in a red state where it’s easy and legal and requires no background check, and then gets in their car and drives to a blue state and shoots up a bunch of people. But now imagine if it was just as difficult to attain a gun in a red state as it is in a blue state. The end of the story would change… Read more »
Have you ever tried to purchase a gun?
It’s not as “easy” as you claim.
Do you know where the shooter obtained his rifle?
Don’t speak about that which you don’t know.
Almost SIXTY people shot in Illinois over July 4th weekend, the majority of the victims in GUN CONTROLLED CHICAGO.
Tell me those guns were obtained legally.
GUN RESTRICTIONS DO NOT WORK.
Following up:
The shooter made a LEGAL purchase of his weapons IN ILLINOIS.
The system failed miserably.
He was known to police–they seized bladed weapons from him.
ALL THE RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY ILLINOIS AND BY THIS LOCALE WERE AN ABJECT FAILURE.
Meanwhile, honest, law-abiding citizens in Illinois must jump through hoops getting a registration card just to exercise a Constitutional right.
LIBERAL MINDED GUN RESTRICTION LAWS ARE INEFFECTIVE AS WAS SEEN IN THIS TRAGIC CASE!
those guns seem to not kill in those red states, only when they cross over into blue ones. So obviously there’s something about Democrat-controlled areas that makes guns dangerous, hence we should remove that danger by getting rid of the Democrat control.
The reason why these trump conservative crazies are crossing state lines to murder people in blue states – like for example, black people, Hispanic people, Jews – is because they are racist, anti-Semitic, KKK loving freaks.
That explains the latest shooter, huh? Whoops – no, he was an Antifa member.
The previous one? Whoops – no, he was all about environmentalism and other Democrat talking points.
And so forth.
You’re getting your “news” from Fox and other right wing, conservative liars.
You didn’t tell me we were debating from the land of make-believe.
But now that I know that we’re not basing our facts on reality anymore, this should make your side of the argument almost believable.
If regular good citizens had been armed the terrorist would have been eliminated and less damage would have been done. And possibly even deterred. That my friend, is how america was set up to be.
We should all have guns so that we can kill each other whenever we want. That’s what the founding fathers were hoping for. Now I understand.
Who said anyone could shoot anyone whenever they want?
Less emotional hyperbole, please.
Defense of yourself and others is a G-d given right.
CRIMINALS kill without justification.
Okay, so because criminals kill without justification then we can too! You are just full of truly well thought out beliefs. With a mind like yours, I’m guessing you voted for trump.
Who is “we?”
What does Donald Trump have to do with this?
You’re giving yourself away too easily.
Where on earth do you see anything in “Hyperbole”’s comment that resembles in the slightest what you wrote? At least have some basic honesty.
The shooter was rooftop with a rifle. Good luck even seeing him let alone hitting him. That said, there would have at least been a chance of STOPPING him rather than only the chance of catching him AFTER HE DID SO MUCH DAMAGE. That’s what people don’t understand. The choice is whether you would rather stand there (or try to hide and/or run) like a victim or have the ability to FIGHT BACK and DEFEND your life and perhaps others’ lives. Right now the Lefty areas don’t even give you a fighting chance. GUN FREE ZONES do NOT work. Illinois… Read more »
These things mostly happen in Democrat-controlled cities. So obviously we have to outlaw that party, as it’s shown itself to be dangerous to living creatures.
This shooter seems to have been inspired by watching footage of previous shootings. If it were illegal to publish anything about mass shootings there wouldn’t be any copycat incidents, and lives would be saved. So let’s impose censorship on the entire news industry, and ban all reporting on mass shootings. After all, lives are important, right? This blood is on the hands of all those who believe in silly things like the freedom of speech and of the press, right? In fact, let’s put the blame where it belongs, on those criminally insane people who rebelled against their rightful king… Read more »
Feels like this country has gone mad..
can police pls take back control of our cities and make our them safe again!
You want police to control our country?
What about when the police are ORDERED to clear the streets of noisy religious gatherings?
What about when the police are ORDERED to stop young males who are walking in the street late at night (returning from a farbrengen)?
We don’t want police controlling things. This is America.
We enjoy our Constitutional rights.
The Second Amendment protects the First Amendment.
Highland Park was a quiet, safe, and very Jewish place to grow up. I can’t fall asleep thinking about what happened. Thank Gd my family and friends are OK. Hashem should help. There are probably many Jewish victims that could use tehillim
This argument is far from simple.
It is unfortunate that every commenter thinks that they know the answer to solve all the worlds problems and its even worth fighting over.
Sometimes we have to accept that we don’t know the answer to some questions (even if you did know, it wouldn’t make a difference unless you become a lawmaker).
Instead, focus on the methods that will definitely help the situation: prayer and education.
M. Shmei