In a speech Monday afternoon, hours after the mass shooting that killed six people, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker addressed the Highland Park community, saying “there are no words” to describe the loss and grief felt by families of the dead and injured this holiday season. after a gunman opened fire during a Fourth of July parade. “Families of six woke up today to participate in a community celebration of our nation’s Independence. They will go to bed tonight less than whole,” he said. “There are no words for the kind of evil that shows up at a public celebration of freedom, hides on a rooftop and shoots innocent people with a rifle. There are no words I can offer to ease the pain of those families who will not Associate the Fourth of July more with celebration, but instead with sadness,” Pritzker added. The governor said he has spoken with President Biden, who has pledged federal support. He also said the state of Illinois will make resources available to those affected by the shooting. Law enforcement is still searching for the suspect and has identified a person of interest. “It’s devastating that an American celebration has been torn apart by our only American plague,” Pritzker said. “A day dedicated to freedom brought into sharp relief the one freedom we have refused to uphold as a nation. The freedom of our fellow citizens to live without the daily fear of gun violence.”
