Flags ordered at half-staff across South Dakota to honor victims of Highland Park, Ill., mass shooting
Jul. 6—PIERRE — Flags are to be flown at half-staff across South Dakota effective immediately in an effort to honor the victims of a deadly Independence Day mass shooting in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, seven people were killed and 38 more injured at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois — a suburb of about 30,000 roughly 30 minutes north of Chicago — after a shooter opened fire from a rooftop with a rifle.
"He brought a high-powered rifle to this parade, he accessed the roof of a business via a fire escape ladder, and began opening fire on the innocent Independence Day celebration-goers," said Chris Covelli, spokesman for the Lake County (Ill.) Major Crime Task Force.
Though the suspect, 21-year-old Robert Crimo, was able to evade authorities in the immediate aftermath, he was apprehended Monday night and charged Tuesday with seven counts of first-degree murder.
In an effort to honor the victims of the shooting, Gov. Kristi Noem ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in South Dakota until sunset on Saturday, July 9.
The order in South Dakota was in response to a federal order issued Tuesday by President Joe Biden.
"As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of gun violence perpetrated on our Independence Day, July 4, 2022, in Highland Park, Illinois, ... I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff," a presidential proclamation reads.
The order applies to all public institutions under the purview of the federal and state government.
