Rooftop shooter kills at least 6 at July Fourth parade in Chicago suburb, gunman still at large

Local police said they are working with state and federal law enforcement officials to track down the suspect, described at a press conference on Monday as white male, about 18-20 years old with a small build and long black hair.

“Jill and I are shocked by the senseless gun violence that has yet again brought grief to an American community on this Independence Day,” Biden said in a written statement.

Police said a rifle was recovered from the scene and urged people to stay indoors while law enforcement searched for the gunman.

“Law enforcement agencies are searching for the suspect; evidence of a firearm has been recovered,” the city of Highland Park said on its website. “Numerous law enforcement officers are responding and have secured a perimeter around downtown Highland Park.”

Police urged anyone with video from the parade to share it with law enforcement.

Larry Bloom, who was in the area when shots began, told NBC Chicago that at first spectators thought the “popping” sound was part of the parade.

“You heard like a ‘pop, pop, pop,’ and I think everybody kinda thought maybe it was a display on one of the floats and then it just opened up,” Bloom said.

The shooting occurred on the Independence Day parade route. The Lake County Sheriff’s office on Twitter urged people to stay out of the area to “allow law-enforcement and first responders to do their work.”

“This morning at 10:14, our community was terrorized by an act of violence that has shaken us to our core,” Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering, said at a news conference. “On a day that we came together to celebrate community and freedom, we’re instead mourning … the tragic loss of life and struggling with the terror that was brought upon us.”

Fourth of July events in other Chicago suburbs — Evanston, Deerfield and Skokie — were called off in the wake of the Highland Park shooting, NBC News reported. 

—Reuters contributed to this report.