Week after July 4 parade shooting, a moment of silence
A woman walks past a chalk drawing Monday, July 11, 2022, near the scene where Robert E. Crimo III shot Fourth of July parade goers in Highland Park, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (AP) — One week after a shooting at a Fourth of July parade that left seven dead, the Chicago suburb of Highland Park held a moment of silence Monday morning to mark the exact time police say the first shot was fired.
More than 100 people gathered and hugged each other in a downtown plaza for a tribute that began at 10:14 a.m. and lasted longer than the planned two minutes. Churches in the community along Lake Michigan north of Chicago tolled their bells seven times.
The event was held not far from the building where a gunman fired dozens of shots from the roof along the parade route. A huge memorial of flowers along with chairs holding photographs of the seven victims is now there.
The tribute came a day after restaurants and small shops in the business district where the shooting occurred and had been blocked off with crime scene tape since the shooting reopened.
Robert E. Crimo III, 21, has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder and, according to prosecutors, will face several counts of attempted murder and other charges. More than 30 people were wounded in the attack. Authorities have said that Crimo, of neighboring Highwood, legally purchased five weapons and planned the attack for weeks.
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