Highland Park, a year later: Coverage of the one-year anniversary of the shooting

At 10:14 a.m. on July 4, 2022, an Independence Day parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park turned deadly in a way community members could not have imagined.

Seven people were killed after a gunman opened fire from a rooftop above the parade route. A day later, Robert “Bobby” Crimo III was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder and other crimes.

A year after the tragedy, emotions still run high as Highland Park continues to heal while remembering the victims and showing the resolve to move forward.

Read the stories below for the latest as Highland Park marks the one-year anniversary of the shooting.

Reclaiming a town, rebuilding resiliency, finding a voice

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A person walks down Central Avenue on June 24, 2023, in Highland Park, just across from where last year’s Fourth of July parade shooting took place. (Shanna Madison/Chicago Tribune)

Shane Selig often volunteered to provide security for the Highland Park Independence Day parade, a typically low-stress job where the biggest threat to public safety occurred when people carelessly walked in front of floats or children darted into the street to grab poorly tossed candy.

These are the so-called dangers that weighed mostly heavily on his mind as he pedaled down Central Avenue on July 4, 2022. The parade had begun about 15 minutes earlier, bringing the usual mix of marching bands, local veterans and politicians that made it one of the most well-attended Fourth of July events along the North Shore.

That’s when Selig heard the pop.

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On July 4, Highland Park remembers, together

People gathered outside City Hall for a memorial ceremony before walking en masse along the street where the shooting occurred. Community leaders praised the town’s resilience and honored the memory of the victims of the shooting.

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Use of state’s ‘red flag’ gun laws jumps in wake of parade killings

In the immediate aftermath of last year’s mass shooting at Highland Park’s Fourth of July parade came the expected questions when such a tragedy unfolds: Who was the gunman? Where had his weapon come from?

And in Illinois, a state run by gun control-minded Democrats, could laws be bolstered and were police using them as effectively as possible?

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A year after Highland Park, mass shootings remain a persistent issue in Illinois

As loved ones continue to mourn the loss of those killed in the tragic shooting on July 4, 2022, countless Illinois families have come to share in their grief, learning for themselves what it’s like to lose a loved one to gun violence.

In total, there have been 54 mass shootings in Illinois since that day, resulting in 50 deaths and 225 injuries, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as four or more people shot in a single event, not including the gunman.

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How safety concerns have sparked debate within local high school district

One year after a horrific mass shooting shattered the notion of public safety in Highland Park, community leaders and citizens of all ages are still reckoning with what it takes to make safe space.

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Guardianship battle escalates over Highland Park boy orphaned after parents were killed in parade shooting

After nearly a year, the guardianship battle has escalated over a boy whose parents were killed in the mass shooting at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park.

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Boy injured in Highland Park parade shooting throws out first pitch at Brewers game

Cooper Roberts, the 9-year-old paralyzed from the waist down in last year’s July 4 Highland Park parade shooting, threw out the first pitch at Monday’s game between the Chicago Cubs and his favorite team, the Milwaukee Brewers, who have shown their support since soon after the tragedy.

Within days of the shooting, the Brewers learned Cooper is a fan, and his favorite player is outfielder Christian Yelich. The organization paid tribute to him by hanging a jersey in the dugout bearing the boy’s last name and Yelich’s 22 uniform number.

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These are the victims of the Fourth of July parade shooting in Highland Park

The parents of a toddler. A father of eight and a grandfather to many. A synagogue employee known for her kindness. A family man who loved the arts.

A mass shooting during the Highland Park Independence Day parade has now claimed the lives of at least seven people and left some two dozen others injured, ranging in age from 8 to 85 years old.

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Highland Park parade shooting: What we know about the victims, suspect, community and aftermath

On an idyllic summer morning, from a rooftop high above the Highland Park Independence Day parade, a gunman aimed down at the floats and lawn chairs and strollers and opened fire. The high school marching band’s members sprinted for their lives, still carrying their flutes and saxophones. Bystanders scooped up young children and fled. In all, seven people were killed.

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Photos: Seven killed, dozens injured in shooting during Fourth of July parade in Highland Park

See photos from Tribune photographers of the Highland Park mass shooting and the aftermath.

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