Illinois Governor Notes 'White Supremacy Symbol' Connected To Accused July Fourth Mass Shooter
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker appeared Sunday (July 10) on CNN’s State of the Union to give an update on the July Fourth mass shooting in Highland Park, in which accused gunman Robert E. Crimo, 21, killed at least seven people.
Pritzker, a Democrat, told host Jake Tapper that investigators found evidence of a “white supremacy symbol” connected to the shooting.
“I think you know from some of the evidence that's been made public that there were signs of this white supremacy symbol, that there is evidence, obviously, of someone who is -- was looking to cause harm to people,” Pritzker stated.
“We don't exactly know whether it is focused on one particular group or another. I can tell you that, at that Highland Park Fourth of July celebration, there were many people who are Jewish. There are many people who are not. There were a large contingent of Latino families there,” he continued.
The shooting in the affluent Chicago suburb drew national attention and an outpouring of support from elected officials. That prompted T.J. Grooms, a pastor at Chicago’s New Beginnings Church, to call for equal attention to the numerous shootings in the city.
In an interview with Fox News, the pastor asked for "the same level of attention, the same level of concern, the same level of care that our politicians … give to an event like what we've seen in Highland [Park]. The same amount of justice that we desire to have in a city like Uvalde or in a city like Highland Park, we want that same level of concern, that same level of justice, that same level of care for a community like this here in the South Side of Chicago."
Tapper noted that the death toll in Chicago over the July 4th weekend surpassed the number of Highland Park victims. He asked Pritzker to respond to comments about the apparent disparity of interest that Grooms highlighted, adding that a parent told CNN that Black and Brown children are treated differently from people in other communities.
“Well, I can speak at least for myself. I'm not giving more attention to one than another,” Pritzker responded. “In fact, much of what we have done in our budget over the last six months for this current fiscal year is to put money into programs that serve Black and Brown communities throughout Chicago, in fact, throughout the rest of the state, particularly communities where there's been a high degree of violence.”
The governor added that he has visited communities and families affected by gun violence on Chicago’s Southside and Westside.
“Highland Park happens to be the latest. And it's an unusual one that I think the nation is paying attention to, in part because of the weapon that was used and the number of people killed all at once by one particular shooter,” he stated.
