Biden Orders Flags at Half-Staff for Victims of Illinois July 4 Parade Shooting

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US President Joe Biden issued a proclamation on Tuesday ordering American flags half-staff in memory of the victims of the July 4 parade shooting in a Chicago suburb.

"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 at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions," the proclamation said.

US flags will remain at half-staff until sunset July 9, the proclamation said.

On Monday, a 21-year-old gunman shot and killed six people and injured three dozen during the Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois. City officials said the shooter purchased the rifle legally.

The shooter fired on the Independence Day parade crowd from a nearby roof. There were at least 11 mass shootings on Independence Day, which left 51 people injured.