On July 4th 2022, just after 10am, Robert Crimo III opened fire on a 4th of July Parade from the rooftop of Ross Cosmetics in his hometown of Highland Park, IL. Seven people were left dead and dozens more wounded.
Main Street remained closed for a week as law enforcement agencies investigated and cleared the scene. In this time the community constructed several memorials near the site and began to search for ways to heal.
Photography and reporting for Reuters.
Highland Park - Mass Shooting
FBI agents clear abandoned children’s bikes from the scene after a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S., July 7, 2022.
Spray paint on the ground marks evidence along the parade route after a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. July 5, 2022.
A woman cries while carrying a child’s car seat retrieved from the parade route the day after a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. July 5, 2022.
Mourners visit a memorial site after a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. July 6, 2022.
A family embraces while attending a vigil for the victims of a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. July 7, 2022.
A community member writes 'Never Again' on a memorial near the parade route the day after a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. July 5, 2022.
Mourners embrace while visiting a memorial site after a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. July 5, 2022.
Chairs are left abandoned on Main Street the morning after a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. July 5, 2022.
Snipers walk away from the home of the mother of the shooter, Robert E. Crimo III, shortly after he had been arrested in another location in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S., July 4, 2022.
A figure painted by the gunman prior to the incident is seen on a wall of the home of the mother of Robert E. Crimo III, in Highland Park, Illinois, U.S., July 7, 2022.
Community members embrace and cry at the edge of the crime scene after a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. July 6, 2022.
Mourners embrace while attending a vigil for the victims of a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. July 7, 2022.
A young girl places a candle at a memorial site near the parade route the day after a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. July 5, 2022.
An American flag blanket is seen abandoned along the parade route the evening after a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Illinois, U.S. July 4, 2022.