‘I was shot in the face, but nothing will change,’ says Chicago shooting victim
A survivor of a mass shooting targeting July 4 celebrations has told how she has lost faith in her country as she shared images of a deep laceration in her cheek where a bullet grazed her skin.
“Nothing will change in America,” the young woman named Lili lamented online. Her words came as there have already been more than 209 mass shootings in the US this year, averaging out at 11 per week.
Lili said she had been attending the same Independence Day parade in Illinois for 18 years and she had “always felt safe” up until Monday when a scene of horror unfolded, shattering the celebrations and leaving six people dead.
Police confirmed that Robert E “Bobby” Crimo III, 22, had been “taken into custody without incident” on Monday evening following a manhunt spanning several hours.
Visitors to the parade scattered in panic when the gunman opened fire on crowds halfway through the event in the city’s Highland Park.
Lili was struck by a bullet in the face. She later took to Twitter to share a photo of a deep laceration on her cheek, where the bullet had grazed her skin.
The teenager also shared disturbing images of her blood-splattered top, jeans and trainers.
“I can’t f---ing believe I was in the middle of a mass shooting,” she wrote. “I’ve felt safe at this parade for 18 years and today I got hit with a bullet and nothing will change in America, this is ridiculous.”
Posting images of the wound after it had been stitched up, she said: “My aftermath of the Highland Park shooting. I’m still in shock. I am so sorry for everyone who lost loved ones today.”
Lili signalled that she had a therapy session booked on Tuesday to help her deal with the trauma of the incident.
It came as details of other victims from the horror shooting, in which six people were fatally wounded and scores more injured, begin to emerge.
Jacki Sundheim, who worked at her local synagogue, was shot and killed at the parade. In a statement, North Shore Congregation Israel described her as a “beloved” staff member.
Grandfather Nicolas Toledo, 73, had been visiting family in the US from his home country of Mexico when he was killed in Monday’s attack.
“We are all feeling pretty numb,” Kimberly Rangel, his granddaughter, told local media. “We’re all pretty broken inside.”
Mr Crimo was detained by police after a brief chase on a highway outside Chicago. He remains in custody at the Highland Park Police Department.
