PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Seven people are dead and dozens more are injured after a gunman opened fire at a holiday parade in Highland Park, Illinois on Monday.
There was also a shooting scare in Harrisburg Monday night, when someone yelled “gun” after a fight broke out at a July 4th celebration downtown, leading hundreds of people to run for their lives.
“We have to come to grips with what this country is about right now," said Philadelphia Mayor, Jim Kenney, after two police officers were shot during the city’s Fourth of July fireworks on the Ben Franklin Parkway Monday night.
The incidents turned what was supposed to cap off a day of celebration into a night of chaos.
"We had a beautiful day out there except for some nitwit either shooting from a window or shooting from somewhere, who had a gun and probably shouldn’t have had it," said Mayor Kenney.
"Unfortunately it can happen anywhere at anytime," said Lt. Adam Reed, Director of Communications for Pennsylvania State Police.
Lt. Reed says it’s a sad reality Americans need to know how to navigate, from knowing evacuation routes to talking with family and friends about where to meet and how to contact each other, in the event someone gets separated.
“Being aware of what’s going on around you is something that’s always been important, but unfortunately given what we’re seeing with these active shooter situations, it’s more important now than ever." said Lt. Reed.
And for parents, normalizing these difficult conversations with children is no easy task.
"We want to protect our children," said Dr. Melissa Brown, clinical psychologist with UPMC. "We want to keep them safe and innocent but unfortunately that ends up hurting them because they don’t have the right valuable information.”
State police say it’s not just members of the public on high alert, officers are also taking extra steps to prepare for the worst.
"That might include meeting with event organizers, going over security protocols and planning before the event starts so we’re all on the same page if something like that happens," said Lt. Reed.
Pennsylvania State Police offers active shooter training, free of charge, to community groups and organizations.
Lt. Reed says they’ve seen an uptick in requests for this training amid these latest mass shootings that have unfolded nationwide.