Macon Reporter

Illinois state Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) recently addressed the July 4 Highland Park mass shooting.

CNN reported that, during the Highland Park Fourth of July parade, a gunman opened fire, killed seven people and wounded nearly 100 others. Suspect Robert E. Crimo III was taken into custody. 

Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rineheart told CNN that Crimo faces seven charges of first-degree murder and that he plans to seek the maximum sentence of life in prison without parole should the suspect be convicted. Dozens of other charges will be added soon, including attempted murder, he said.

Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rineheart | www.lakecountyil.gov/513/States-Attorneys-Office

Halbrook gave his thoughts on the shooting in a July 11 news release.

"I am saddened by the senseless loss of life by deranged individuals who are intent on doing evil. I pray for the victims and their families," Halbrook said. "We need to look for answers as to why the Highland Park mass murder occurred and why the violence in Chicago continues.

"It is time to get to the root cause of this violence. More information comes out daily that the Highland Park shooter had a fascination with violence that was ignored. It should be noted that Highland Park had in place its own assault weapons ban, enacted in 2013, and that Illinois has Red Flag laws as well, both of which failed to prevent the shooter from owning the weapon he used. More laws are not the answer. I firmly believe we must look deeper for solutions to the violence going on in our society. We must be open to all conversations about why this violence continues to occur and look for real solutions to prevent this tragic loss of life in the future.

"As to Governor (J.B.) Pritzker’s disaster declaration for Highland Park, I would like to know what criteria he is using to make such declarations. The unfairness of declaring one zone of violence as a disaster area and ignoring other zones is troubling."

Pritzker had called a special session to address abortion in Illinois following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, but on July 5, he announced that it would be delayed, according to Chicago Tribune.