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Yesterday, a mass shooting disrupted Highland Park, an Illinois suburb's Fourth of July parade, killing six and wounding multiple others. After a short chase, the police arrested a White male of around 22 years of age. He was later identified as Robert "Bobby" Crimo, an amateur rapper who goes by the name of Awake the Rapper.
On Tuesday, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering appeared on NBC's Today show to talk about the tragedy that took place just the day before. In the interview, she revealed that while she did not "know where the gun came from," it was obtained legally by the shooter.
As the demand for stricter gun laws increases with every passing mass shooting in the United States, Nancy Rotering believes that it is time for a change. She told NBC:
"I think at some point, this nation needs to have a conversation about these weekly events involving the murder of dozens of people with legally obtained guns. If that’s what our laws stand for, we need to re-examine the laws."
Who is Robert Crimo? Everything to know about Highland Park shooting suspect
The liberal, wealthy, quiet suburban Highland Park was the latest victim of a country struggling with everyday occurrences of gun violence, this time on USA's day of Independence.
Assault weapons have been banned in Highland Park for over a decade, yet it did not stop a high-powered rifle from falling into the hands of the shooter, leading to a death toll of six.
Robert Crimo, the suspect who was arrested on Monday evening in relation to the Illinois shooting, is being questioned by the Highland Park Police Department. Since his arrest, however, people have come across a number of shockingly vile things about him on the internet. The amateur rapper has a long history of expressing a deep interest in mass shootings, and his now-deleted videos often included "violent imagery," as did the lyrics of his music, according to journalist Steven Monacelli.
JB Pritzker, the governor of Ilinois, tweeted about the tragedy and said that thoughts and prayers are not enough anymore in the face of a "plague of gun violence."
Nancy Rotering, who signed a city ordinance banning assault weapons almost ten years ago, urged people to ask why there are "weapons of war" on the streets which people can legally obtain, and use them to kill others in a matter of minutes.
"This tragedy never should have arrived on our doorsteps and as a small town, everybody knows somebody that was affected by this directly."
Prosecutors are yet to file charges against Crimo with regards to the mass shooting.
