The shooting in Highland Park, about 25 miles north of Chicago, caused hundreds of people to flee and triggered a police response of local, county and state officers. The extent of the injuries was not known.
One parade attendee, Miles Zaremski, said he heard what he believed to be about 20 to 30 gunshots, in two consecutive spurts of gunfire, at about 10:20 a.m. CT, 20 minutes after the start of the parade. The hail of gunfire caused a stampede of people to flee, he said. He told CNN he saw a number of people bloodied and on the ground and described the scene as chaotic.
“My campaign team and I were gathering at the start of the parade when the shooting started. My team and I are safe and secure,” he said.
Video taken by a witness, Hugo Aguilera, shows an ambulance turning around on the parade route and a police car with sirens on, as people gathered on the grassy sidewalk. Aerial video from CNN affiliate WLS shows abandoned lawn chairs up and down the parade route amid a heavy police presence.
It was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. CT at the intersection of Laurel and St. Johns Avenues, and was set to head north on St. Johns Avenue and then west on Central Avenue and continue to Sunset Park, the city said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.