HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — Seven people were killed and at least 30 others wounded after a 21-year-old man opened fire on an Independence Day parade in Highland Park on Monday morning.
The attack happened around 10:10 a.m. after shots were fired near Central Avenue and 2nd Street. At a news conference, Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said it appeared the gunman opened fire on parade-goers from a rooftop using a high-powered rifle that was later recovered at the scene.
An hourslong manhunt ensued during which residents hunkered down in businesses or received police escorts to their homes. That ended with a traffic stop and brief chase Monday evening, when authorities detained a man they described as a person of interest.
Highland Park police chief said a police officer pulled over Robert E. Crimo III about 5 miles (8 kilometers) north of the shooting scene, several hours after police released the man’s photo and warned that he was likely armed and dangerous.
Five adults were pronounced dead at the scene and another person, whose age was not given, died at the hospital, the Lake County Coroner said. A seventh person died Tuesday, authorities confirmed.
Coroners identified six of the seven victims:
- Nicolas Toledo, who was 78 and visiting from Mexico, was shot and died at the scene. A GoFundMe page created in his honor describes him as “a father of eight and grandfather to many.”
- Jacki Sundheim, 63, of Highland Park, a lifelong congregant and “beloved” staff member at nearby North Shore Congregation Israel, was also killed. The congregation announced her death on its website. Sundheim’s nephew described her as being one of the kindest people you’d ever meet.
- Catherine Goldstein, 64, of Highland Park
- Irina McCarthy, 35, of Highland Park
- Kevin McCarthy, 37, of Highland Park
- Stephen Straus, 88, of Highland Park
Police have not provided a motive for the attack.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart, a Highland Park resident, announced Monday that Crimo is charged with seven counts of first-degree murder. Additional charges are pending. If convicted, the alleged gunman faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“In the courtroom, we will seek the maximum sentence of this offender, not because we seek vengeance, but because justice and the healing process demand it,” Rinehart said. “As we go forward in the courtroom and in the community, we must do everything we can to make sure the horrors that marked these streets, that echoed from these buildings, never happen again.”
NorthShore University Health Center received 26 patients after the attack. All but one had gunshot wounds, said Dr. Brigham Temple, medical director of emergency preparedness. Their ages ranged from 8 to 85, and Temple estimated that four or five were children.
The Chicago Teachers Union said Dever Elementary School teacher, Zoe Kolpack, and her husband were among the injured. Their two children were not hurt. A GoFundMe has been created in their honor to help cover medical expenses.
Faith leaders in Highland Park will hold a prayer vigil in honor of the victims at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Memorial Park at the corner of Laurel and Linden.
