Highland Park natives Rachel Brosnahan and Richard Marx have condemned the mass shooting at an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago on Monday (4 July).
A gunman on a rooftop opened fire during the parade in Highland Park – about 25 miles north of downtown Chicago – sending hundreds of marchers, parents with strollers and children on bicycle fleeing in terror, police said.
At least six people were killed in the shooting and 3 injured.
Police named Robert E Crimo, a man in his 20s, as a person of interest in the shooting and took him into custody after an hours-long manhunt around Highland Park.
Mr Crimo was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder on Tuesday.
Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel star who grew up in Highland Park, reacted to the shooting in a Twitter post.
“I grew up in Highland Park and this parade is a highlight of the year for so many families,” the 31-year-old actor said, adding: “I’m sick to my stomach every time news like this comes out, but I don’t wish the pit in your stomach as you call your family and friends to make sure everyone is okay on anyone.
“No words.”
Condemning the shooting, Marx tweeted that he grew up in Highland Park as well and used his social media accounts “to check on the welfare of people I still know there”.
The “Right Here Waiting” singer tweeted: “My heart is always broken by these constant mass shootings no matter where they occur but today I’m extra heartbroken. And extra angry at the senselessness.”
At a brief press conference on Monday evening, authorities said Crimo had been spotted by a North Chicago officer who attempted to initiate a traffic stop.
Crimo, also apparently known as “Awake the Rapper”, then fled and led officers on a brief pursuit before being stopped in Lake Forest.
He was taken into custody without incident and will be taken to the Highland Park police department, said chief Lou Jogmen of the Highland Park Police.
Authors, reporters and comedians also spoke out against the tragedy in Highland Park, which follows other high-profile mass shootings in the US including in Ulvade, Buffalo and New York this year.
There have been at least 250 mass shootings in the country since the beginning of 2022, as they continue to splinter families and America’s social fabric.
