CHICAGO (WHDH) - A woman at the scene of the mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, described the initial chaos and confusion among parade-goers as shots were fired during the July 4th event.
Speaking with CNN, Lily Wathen said she was preparing to march in the July 4th parade when she and others heard a series of popping noises near the route.
Wathen said those around her first thought the noise was coming from fireworks and that as some parade-goers started running by them, that some kind of marathon was going on during the event.
“The possibility of what actually happened was just so inconceivable that people just couldn’t believe it (and) that a race in the middle of the parade seemed more likely than what was actually happening,” she said.
When police cruisers and fire trucks lined up by her group turned on their sirens and started driving, Wathen said everyone soon started to understand what was happening and began to run themselves
Wathen said her grandfather was among the dozens of victims wounded when a gunman began shooting at the parade from a rooftop. She said on Tuesday that he was doing better after seeing him and that he claimed he was not in any pain.
Police were still searching for evidence on Tuesday after reportedly arresting the suspected gunman, Robert E. Crimo III. Officials said Crimo was spotted by a North Chicago police officer hours after the shooting on Monday. Crimo then allegedly led officers on a brief chase before being stopped.
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