6 dead, 30 hurt in shooting at Chicago-area July 4 parade
A gunman on a rooftop opened fire on an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago on Monday, killing at least six people, wounding at least 30 and sending hundreds of marchers, parents with strollers and children on bicycles fleeing in terror, police said.
Authorities said a man named as a person of interest in the shooting was taken into police custody Monday evening after an hourslong manhunt in and around Highland Park, an affluent community of about 30,000 on Chicago’s north shore.
The July 4 shooting was just the latest to shatter the rituals of American life. Schools, churches, grocery stores and now community parades have all become killing grounds in recent months. This time, the bloodshed came as the nation tried to find cause to celebrate its founding and the bonds that still hold it together.
“It definitely hits a lot harder when it’s not only your hometown but it’s also right in front of you,” resident Ron Tuazon said as he and a friend returned to the parade route Monday evening to retrieve chairs, blankets and a child’s bike that he and his family abandoned when the shooting began.
“It’s commonplace now,” Tuazon said of what he called yet another American atrocity. “We don’t blink anymore. Until laws change, it’s going to be more of the same.”
The shooting occurred at a spot on the parade route where many residents had staked out prime viewing points early in the day for the annual celebration. Dozens of fired bullets sent hundreds of parade-goers — some visibly bloodied — fleeing. They left a trail of abandoned items that showed everyday life suddenly, violently disrupted: A half-eaten bag of potato chips; a box of chocolate cookies spilled onto the grass; a child’s Chicago Cubs cap.
The book of Ezekiel contains many prophecies that are addressed specifically to America and Britain in the end time. Anciently, the kingdom of Israel had been in captivity more than 100 years when Ezekiel was delivering his warning message. This shows that Ezekiel’s message is primarily for the end-time descendants of Israel; America is the most prominent of these descendants. (Request our book Ezekiel—The End-Time Prophet for more explanation on this crucial point. All of our literature is free.) This means that Ezekiel’s message will have mostly been in vain unless we proclaim it today!
The subject is the end time (Ezekiel 7:1-2)—the end of the age of man, the time right before the return of Jesus Christ. This is a message for today! Several other indications in Ezekiel’s prophecy show this to be true.
“Make a chain: for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence” (verse 23). Think about what this is saying, then look at the headlines. Our land is so saturated with bloody crimes that one crime follows another like links in a chain—just the way God prophesied it would be!
