A father who was at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park when a gunman opened fire has spoken out and recalled the ordeal.
On July 4, a 22-year-old man armed with a rifle stormed the rooftop of a local store in Highland Park before he started shooting at innocent people who attended the Independence Day parade.
As the gunfire broke out, six people were killed and dozens were left injured. Terrified people could be seen running in all directions with concerned parents shielding their children from the barrage of bullets that rained down on the street.
Among them was also 39-year-old Highland Park resident Alexander Sandoval who attended the parade with his 2-year-old son.
When the shooting began, the quick-thinking construction contractor decided to put his young son, his little brother, and their dog in a nearby dumpster in a desperate attempt to keep them safe.
“When it started happening, I thought it was the Navy saluting the flag. Then I grabbed my kid and we ran and tried to break a store window to get away from it,” he said in an interview with the New York Times.
“I was punching the door but couldn’t punch through it. I think the shooter stopped and reloaded, and that’s when I ran around the corner and put my son and little brother in a dumpster, and his dog.
“I asked someone to watch him because I had to go back for the rest of my family. Then when I ran back to look for them is when I saw people shot on the ground.”
As the father continued, he burst into tears after spotting a police officer carrying a young child in his arms.
“I saw a little boy who was shot being carried away. It was just terror,” he said.
The heart-wrenching recount of events that rocked the nation comes shortly after the police arrested the prime suspect, 22-year-old Robert ‘Bobby’ Crimo III.
The self-proclaimed rapper remains in custody as the investigation into the shooting continues.
Our thoughts remain with the victims and their families.
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