Highland Park Marks a Week Since Mass Shooting

One week after a shooting at a Fourth of July parade that left seven dead, the Chicago suburb of Highland Park held a moment of silence Monday morning to mark the exact time police say the first shot was fired. More than 100 people gathered and hugged each other in a downtown plaza for a tribute that began at 10:14am and lasted longer than the planned two minutes, the AP reports. Churches in the community along Lake Michigan north of Chicago tolled their bells seven times. The event was held not far from the building where a gunman fired dozens of shots from the roof along the parade route.

A huge memorial of flowers along with chairs holding photographs of the seven victims is now there. The tribute came a day after restaurants and small shops in the business district reopened. They had been blocked off with crime scene tape since the shooting. Robert E. Crimo III, 21, has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder and, according to prosecutors, will face several counts of attempted murder and other charges. Authorities have said the suspect legally purchased five weapons and planned the attack for weeks. More than 30 people were wounded in the attack, including an 8-year-old boy whose spinal cord was severed.

(More Highland Park mass shooting stories.)