At least six people were murdered, and numerous more were injured in a shooting at a Fourth of July parade in the affluent Chicago neighborhood of Highland Park on Monday, according to officials. Panicked witnesses left the scene in fear.

The city of Highland Park claimed on its website that there were six fatalities and 24 hospitalizations.

According to the statement, multiple police enforcement officials have secured a perimeter around downtown Highland Park.

At a news conference, officials said that six people were murdered and 24 were sent to hospitals, as well as the recovery of a firearm from the scene.

Police requested the public's assistance in locating a white male, thought to be between the ages of 18 and 20, whom they were hunting for. Initial reports claimed he fired from a rooftop, according to the police.

"Our neighborhood was terrorized by a violent incident that shook us to our very core. Our sympathies go out to the victims' families during this tragic time "The mayor of Highland Park, Nancy Rotering, addressed the news conference.

A hospital spokeswoman reported that 31 people were hurt. Jim Anthony, a representative for NorthShore, stated that 26 patients were being cared for at NorthShore Highland Park Hospital in Highland Park, while five were transferred to NorthShore Evanston Hospital.

"The overwhelming majority sustained gunshot wounds. Remaining parade attendees got injuries as a result of the disorder "Anthony added.

According to a video released on social media, children carrying American flags, riding tricycles, and traveling in wagons drawn by parents froze as people in the crowd shouted and gunshots rang out.

Amarani Garcia, who attended the procession with her little daughter, reported to a local ABC affiliate that she heard shooting nearby, followed by what she believed to be reloading and more gunfire.

There were several "individuals shouting and fleeing. It was just extremely traumatic "Garcia stated. "I was filled with dread. I actually hid with my daughter in a small store. It makes me feel as though we are no longer secure."

Social media videos depicted a marching band in the procession abruptly breaking formation and fleeing and photos of individuals abandoning their things as they sought safety.

"Everyone was running, hiding and screaming," CBS 2 Digital Producer Elyssa Kaufman said at the scene, according to the channel's website.

Jeff Leon, 57, told CNN that the gunfire lasted less than a minute and sounded like 20 firecrackers being detonated in a large garbage can.

"So, I didn't immediately react, I thought it was just how people are on the fourth."

After the May 24 murder that killed 19 schoolchildren and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and the May 14 attack that killed ten people at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, gun violence is fresh in the minds of many Americans.

Amarani Garcia, who attended the procession with her little daughter, reported to a local ABC affiliate that she heard shooting nearby, followed by what she believed to be reloading and more gunfire.