Pritzker: "I am furious" over Highland Park Shooting
Governor JB Pritzker makes a short statement Monday in Hyde Park after learning of the mass shooting during and Independence Day parade in the north shore suburb.
Governor JB Pritzker made a short statement before the start of an Independence Day Parade in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood Monday morning, confirming he was aware of the shooting in Highland Park and was leaving the southside to monitor the situation.
Pritzker appeared in Highland Park late Monday afternoon visibly frustrated at the news of another mass shooting in Illinois.
“If you’re angry today, I’m here to tell you: be angry,” Pritzker said. “I’m furious. I’m furious that yet more innocent lives were taken by gun violence. It does not have to be this way.”
In a video posted to his campaign Facebook page Monday, Republican gubernatorial nominee Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), speaking from a canceled parade in Skokie, offered a prayer and said the public should “move on.”
“Let’s pray for justice to prevail and then let’s move on and let’s celebrate the independence of this nation,” he said.
Numerous elected officials and observers have criticized Bailey’s language in the video.
His campaign issued a formal statement asking to pray for the victims and those who lost a loved one.
“We hope we can all come together in prayer and action to address rampant crime and mental health issues to ensure these horrific tragedies don’t happen again,” Bailey said.
While Pritzker stopped short of endorsing specific state or federal legislation, he did appear to want action.
“Our founders carried muskets, not assault weapons,” he said. “I don’t think a single one of them would have said you have a constitutional right to an assault weapon with a high capacity magazine. Or that is more important of the right of the people who attended this parade today to live.”
Here’s the Governor’s full statement: