Thousands join walk in Highland Park, year after Fourth of July parade mass shooting

HIGHLAND Park, Ill. – Thousands of people gathered Tuesday in downtown Highland Park for a remembrance ceremony and community walk one year after the mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in this Chicago suburb.

Xochil Toledo, 24, and her family joined the crowd outside City Hall wearing t-shirts with an image of her grandfather, Nicolás Toledo, 78. The two were at the parade together last year when he was fatally shot.

"We're here today to honor him," she said. "It definitely is taking time to heal and process everything."

Last year, a 21-year-old gunman armed with an AR-15-style rifle opened fire from a rooftop over the town square, killing seven people and wounding 48 others. The victims included Toledo; Katie Goldstein, 64; Irina McCarthy, 35; Kevin Michael McCarthy, 37; Stephen Straus, 88; Jacki Lovi Sundheim, 63; and Eduardo Uvaldo, 69.

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The gunman, who traveled to Wisconsin and back before police apprehended him hours after the shooting, faces 21 first-degree murder counts, 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery. His father also faces charges for helping the shooter obtain a gun license even though he had threatened violence.

In the wake of the shooting, Illinois passed a ban on dozens of high-powered semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines. Survivors and victims' families also sued the gunman and his father, the gun manufacturer, the gun store where the gunman purchased the weapon and an online gun distributor.

Tuesday, people of all ages – many wearing blue "We are Highland Park" shirts and Fourth of July attire – attended the remembrance ceremony. Some cried quietly, couples leaned against one another and parents held tight to their children. Many became visibly emotional as the group sang the national anthem in unison.

"Even as the world moves on, the loss and the pain will never leave us," Mayor Nancy Rotering said. "To each of you, know this, we continue this journey together."

City officials read aloud the names of the victims and held one minute of silence. That's all the time it took that day for the shooter to fire 83 rounds into the crowd with a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 semi-automatic rifle, according to city officials.

Katherine McKeag, 18, attended the ceremony with her mother and other members of her synagogue, North Shore Congregation Israel, in honor of Sundheim. McKeag recalled Sundheim as a kind, driven member of the congregation who watched her grow up.

"She really valued her community and took care of all of us," McKeag said.

Linda Eisendrath attended in honor of Straus, a longtime friend whose children grew up with her own. Eisendrath's partner, Burt Skolnik, 86, reflected on fleeing from the parade that day. He was with his daughter and son-in-law in front of the Dairy Queen, near where the shooting happened.

"I'll never forget the sound of the rifle and seeing the people running. Utter shock," he said.

In his remarks, Rabbi Ike Serotta of Makom Solel Lakeside Reform Synagogue pointed to other incidents of gun violence in recent weeks and thanked community leaders from Chicago and across the country for supporting Highland Park in the aftermath. He said he still finds himself sometimes scanning rooftops and planning emergency exits.

"Resilience is a much better word than healing," he said, adding, "We can choose, as we are able, to live and love and play and move forward for good."

A slew of elected officials, including Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, joined the group for the walk to reclaim the parade route. People pushed strollers and wheelchairs and spoke among themselves along the fenced path through downtown.

Toledo said her family was silent during the walk. It was a healing process, she said.

Holly Israel, 57, who sheltered-in-place for hours last year as law enforcement searched for the gunman, joined the walk with her family and dog. She said the event brought a sense of peace – maybe even closure.

"It was definitely spiritual," said Shawn Mathew, 24, an employee of Highland Park. "It's nice to see a lot of people here."

Laura Joyce-Hubbard, 57, Highland Park's official poet laureate, became emotional talking about the walk. Along the way, she met and bonded with a fellow military veteran.

"It's a real metaphor for the journey after and forward," she said. "What it felt like was the reminder of the power of community."

Joyce-Hubbard read a poem during the ceremony early Tuesday and incorporated patriotic lyrics into the piece. She wonders what those kinds of phrases mean in 2023, when gun violence is the leading cause of death among children and teens in the United States.

"These events bring us into a citizenship of grief and loss," she said. "I believe not just in the ability to heal and repair but to fix – to do better."

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On the other end of the parade route, the crowd spilled out into a community picnic, where sounds of music and laughter filled the park and people lined up at food trucks. As the solemn day turned toward celebration, some looked forward to the city's planned evening events.

More than 5,000 people registered for events Tuesday, Rotering said. And more than 50 agencies were providing security, said City Manager Ghida Neukirch. Heavily armed officers could be seen stationed throughout downtown.

Gary Sinise, the Highland Park High School graduate and actor known for his roles in "Forrest Gump" and "CSI: NY," was scheduled to put on a concert with his "Lt. Dan Band." A drone show was set to follow, in place of fireworks. Some residents are still sensitive to loud noises.

For many, fireworks would be "too soon," Rotering said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Highland Park shooting victims remembered on Fourth of July