Madelaine Gray
A gunman has killed seven and wounded dozens after opening fire on a 4th July celebration.
Monday marked the 4th of July. Possibly America’s most popular public holiday, the date promises an annual joyous celebration of independence from British rule. Across the country, from thriving metropolises to the smallest township, parades and parties abounded.
“the bloodiest day that we have ever experienced in Highland Park.”
A gunman, perched on a rooftop, opened fire on one such event in the Chicago area, killing seven and wounding dozens more. Highland Park, Illinois, is a quiet, affluent suburb of one of the nation’s most populous and famous cities, with a crime rate lower than most other cities in the state.
The mayor of the city, Nancy Rotering, called Monday “the bloodiest day that we have ever experienced in Highland Park.”
The Investigation
After a widespread manhunt, a ‘person of interest’ was taken into custody at around 6:30pm on Monday. Police indicated that the investigation was still in its early stages.
However, on Tuesday evening the suspect was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder (according to the Lake County’s state attorney, Eric F. Rinehart, these are expected to be the first of many).
The Suspect
Robert E. Crimo III, 21, briefly led the police in a chase before he was apprehended. A high-powered rifle was discovered at the scene of the shooting, which according to authorities appeared to match witnesses’ description of the events.
It is alleged that the suspect climbed a fire-escape ladder to the roof of a local business, fired more than 70 rounds into the crowd, then escaped in the following chaos disguised in women’s clothing.
Gun Control in America
The shooting comes at a fraught time for discussions around gun control, with governmental bodies both federal and state-level in the midst of a legislative tug-of-war; this is perhaps best illustrated by the events of 23rd June
On this day, the Senate passed (65 votes to 33) a gun control bill for the first time in nearly three decades, while the Supreme Court ruled against a New York gun restriction law, providing a victory for gun rights.
The Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, Juliana Stratton, has called for additional gun restrictions in the wake of yesterday’s attack, though detractors have been quick to point out that Illinois already has amongst the most stringent gun control laws in the nation.
Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said that the rifle used by Mr Crimo appeared to have been purchased legally, despite previous dealings with the police in which the authorities were informed of his violent tendencies, leading many to call for stricter “red flag” laws when making such purchases.
“This tragedy should never have arrived on our doorsteps.”
In the immediate aftermath, the usual battle lines are already being drawn – far from bringing the nation together in grief, mass shootings in the current US political climate seem to act more as a catalyst for ever more fervent polarisation of the conversation.
With a day of celebration turned into a tragedy, Mayor Rotering told NBC’s ‘Today’ show that the city was “never going to recover from this wound.”
“This tragedy should never have arrived on our doorsteps.”
Featured image courtesy of Aaron Burden on Unsplash . Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Madelaine Gray
LLB Law with Politics student at Royal Holloway, University of London. Editor in Chief of RHUL's The Orbital.