Vice PresidentKamala Harristraveled to Highland Park, Illinois one day after a gunman opened fire during aFourth of July parade, killing seven and injuring at least 24 others.
On Tuesday, the vice president, 57, made an unscheduled stop in the city with her husband, second gentlemanDoug Emhoff, where they spoke with Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering and local law enforcement near the scene of the crime.ABC Newsreported that lawn chairs, bikes and strollers were still there abandoned from the day before.
“We are so sorry for what you have all experienced… This should never have happened. We talked about it being ‘senseless’ – it is. It is absolutely senseless,” Harris said. “I want for you that you hold each other tight as a community, that you know that you have a whole nation who cares deeply about you and stands with you.”
“This is an incredibly tight community, and this person will be brought to justice,” she continued. “But it’s not going to undo what happened.”
KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images
Later in her brief remarks, the vice president advocated for greater gun control at the federal level, noting that such tragedies can happen “anywhere.”
“We’ve got to be smarter as a country in terms of who has access to what, in particular assault weapons,” Harris said. “And we’ve got to take this stuff seriously. The whole nation should understand and have a level of empathy to understand that this could happen anywhere in any peace-loving community. And we should stand together and speak out about why it’s got to stop.”
“We need to end this horror. We need to stop this violence,” she said of the “senseless act of gun violence” in Highland Park, perUSA Today. “And we must protect our communities from the terror of gun violence.”
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Robert E. Crimo, III, the 22-year-old man accused of killingseven people and wounding dozensmore during the July 4 parade in Highland Park, is set to appear in a bond court hearing Wednesday in Lake County at 10a.m., reportedFOX32 Chicago. He has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder and could face life in prison.
Robert Crimo.HIGHLAND PARK POLICE
“I want to emphasize that: there will be more charges. We anticipate dozens of more charges centering around each of the victims,” Rinehart said.
Nine people, ranging from 14 to 70-years-old, remained hospitalized Tuesday, hospital officials said, according to theAssociated Press.
The shooter reportedly planned the deadly attack for weeks, and on day of the parade, he dressed like a woman to avoid being identified and hid his rifle in a red blanket before climbing a fire escape to gain access to a rooftop on the parade route.
Amethyst Tate
source: people.com
