President Biden has responded to the shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, in which a gunman killed six people and injured dozens more during a Fourth of July parade on Monday.
The wounded victims ranged in age from 8 to 85, and five of the six people killed were adults, according to Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek. The suspect, 22-year-old Robert E. Crimo III, was apprehended by police later that day near Lake Forest, Illinois, after a manhunt across the Chicago region.
Biden responded to the tragedy by saying that he offered Governor J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) and Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering (D) federal support, and praising gun legislation that he recently signed.
“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. “As always, we are grateful for the first responders and law enforcement on the scene. I have spoken to Governor Pritzker and Mayor Rotering, and have offered the full support of the Federal government to their communities. I also surged Federal law enforcement to assist in the urgent search for the shooter, who remains at large at this time. Members of the community should follow guidance from leadership on the ground, and I will monitor closely as we learn more about those whose lives have been lost and pray for those who are in the hospital with grievous injuries.”
“I recently signed the first major bipartisan gun reform legislation in almost thirty years into law, which includes actions that will save lives,” Biden added. “But there is much more work to do, and I’m not going to give up fighting the epidemic of gun violence.”
