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1 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, On Monday, July 4, 2022, the City of Highland
3 Park and thousands of its residents and neighbors gathered for
4 its annual Fourth of July parade; and
5 WHEREAS, For generations, Highland Park has hosted this
6 parade, one of the largest Fourth of July gatherings in the
7 northern suburbs of Chicago; and
8 WHEREAS, At 10:14 a.m., tragedy struck as an alleged lone
9 gunman opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle at the
10 intersection of 2nd Street and Central Avenue in downtown
11 Highland Park; and
12 WHEREAS, In less than one minute, the assailant shot 83
13 bullets into the crowd, killing 7 and injuring dozens; and
14 WHEREAS, As residents ran from the gunfire, placed their
15 bodies over their loved ones, and sought safety, first
16 responders who had come to watch the parade put themselves in
17 harm's way; and
18 WHEREAS, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members
19 and community volunteers rushed to the scene and bravely
20 worked side by side with fire and police personnel and medical
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1 professionals, helping to save lives through their quick
2 action; and
3 WHEREAS, Law enforcement officers from Highland Park and
4 hundreds of others throughout the State of Illinois and at all
5 levels of government worked together to quickly secure
6 downtown Highland Park and later apprehend the suspect; and
7 WHEREAS, Mayor Nancy Rotering admirably and strongly led
8 the grieving Highland Park community in the minutes
9 immediately after the shooting and in the weeks and months
10 following the shooting, as the international community looked
11 to her leadership; and
12 WHEREAS, City Manager Ghida Neukirch selflessly ran to the
13 scene of the shooting to provide first aid to gunshot victims,
14 going far above and beyond her duties and providing
15 extraordinary care to the Highland Park community in the
16 moments following the shooting; and
17 WHEREAS, Physicians, nurses, and other staff raced to
18 Highland Park Hospital to assist the injured, some coming
19 straight from the parade, doing incredible work under intense
20 and difficult circumstances; and
21 WHEREAS, Hundreds of therapists, counselors, and social
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1 workers have supported those experiencing trauma from what
2 they witnessed during and after the shooting; therefore, be it
3 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL
4 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF
5 REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we mourn the lives
6 lost at the hands of gunfire in the City of Highland Park on
7 July 4, 2022 and all those around the State of Illinois who
8 have been lost to gun violence and recognize the surviving
9 families that live with the trauma of their losses; and be it
10 further
11 RESOLVED, That we especially remember the lives of
12 Katherine Goldstein, Irina McCarthy, Kevin McCarthy, Stephen
13 Straus, Jacquelyn Sundheim, Nicholas Toledo-Zaragoza, and
14 Eduardo Uvaldo; and be it further
15 RESOLVED, That we honor the City of Highland Park and its
16 law enforcement, first responders, and community leaders for
17 their service to the people of Illinois; and be it further
18 RESOLVED, That we urge leaders to continue to do
19 everything in their power to ensure no other community
20 experiences the trauma of gun violence, so that this horrific
21 tragedy shall not be in vain; and be it further
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1 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2 delivered to the City of Highland Park.
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