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Suspect arrested over 4 July mass shooting in Illinois, US -UPDATED

04 July 2022 23:56 (UTC +04:00)

US police have arrested a suspect after six people were killed at an Independence Day parade near Chicago, APA reports citing BBC.

Police say Robert E Crimo III, aged 22, was detained after a brief chase.

At least 24 other people were injured in the city of Highland Park, Illinois, after a gunman used a high-powered rifle to target people from a rooftop.

It is the latest mass shooting to hit the US - there has been one in every week of 2022. President Joe Biden said he was "shocked" by the violence.

Mr Crimo was detained after a manhunt. He was referred to as a "person of interest" in Monday's shooting, but after his arrest police said they believed he was responsible.

The gunman opened fire at the parade at around 10:15 local time (15:15 GMT), just a few minutes after it began.

The event was scheduled to include floats, marching bands, and community entertainment as part of the city's Independence Day celebrations.

But what should have been one of the happiest days of the year quickly turned to panic, with pushchairs, purses and lawn chairs left discarded on the street as crowds fled from the scene.

The suspect is believed to have fired at members of the public from the rooftop of a nearby shop, where police say they recovered "evidence of a firearm."

Five adults were killed at the scene, as well as a further victim who the local coroner said died in a nearby hospital.

"We went to have a nice family day out - and then suddenly all this gunfire happens," said Anand P, who was there during the parade.

"At the time I personally wanted to believe it was a car backfiring. Then people started running - so we start running."

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At least six people were killed and two dozen were injured in the shooting at the Highland Park parade, Cmdr. Chris O’Neil, incident commander, told reporters, APA reports citing CNN.

O’Neil said that authorities are still looking for the suspect which they describe as a White male between 18-20 years old and is wearing a white or blue t-shirt.

Authorities consider this an active incident.