SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
First responders take victims away from the scene of a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade on July 4, 2022 in Highland Park, Illinois. At least six people were killed. (Photo: Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
Doctor Describes Gruesome 'Wartime Injuries' at Highland Park Shooting
"The people who were killed were killed instantly," said Dr. David Baum, who ran towards the victims after gunfire rang out at a July 4th parade.
Jul 05, 2022
Dr. David Baum, an obstetrician based in Highland Park, Illinois who was attending the Fourth of July parade there on Monday, ended up helping to treat injuries he called "unspeakable" after a gunman killed at least six people and injured 26 others.
The suspect, 21-year-old Robert Crimo III, allegedly used a legally purchased "high-powered rifle," according to the New York Times, in the attack at the Chicago suburb's annual July 4th celebration.
The gunfire caused "wartime injuries," Baum told CNN's "New Day."
\u201cA doctor at the scene of the July 4th parade shooting says the victims were \u201cblown up\u201d from the gunfire, calling the injuries \u201cunspeakable.\u201d\n\u201cThese are the bullets and guns that 18-year-olds have a right to shoot down on a parade in a sleepy little community.\u201d\u201d— CNN This Morning (@CNN This Morning) 1657022975
"The people who were killed were killed instantly," the doctor said. "The people who were gone were blown up by that gunfire."
Baum noted that he's seen numerous major wounds as a physician, but said "the power of this gun" caused an "evisceration injury" as well as "an unspeakable head injury" in another victim.
"What I saw was just families' lives forever changed because... somebody who shouldn't have had access to a high-powered rifle got up on a rooftop and decided to do what he wanted to do."
The doctor spoke openly about the need for strict regulations to keep people from accessing the type of gun allegedly used by Crimo and other gunmen in recent shootings like the one that killed 19 children and two adults in Uvalde, Texas in May.
"The horror of what I saw was that this community will never, ever be the same," said Baum. "What I saw was just families' lives forever changed because they were walking down with their kids on their scooters and somebody who shouldn't have had access to a high-powered rifle got up on a rooftop and decided to do what he wanted to do."
He added that he does not understand why Americans can obtain "a weapon that is meant for war." The injuries he saw "are what are seen in victims of war, not victims at a parade," Baum said.
The shooting in Uvalde in May prompted calls from medical professionals and gun control advocates for the release of photos of the injuries caused by AR-15s--the gun used in Uvalde and in a number of other mass shootings in recent years--and similar weapons.
"The problem with this country is the failure to recognize that every week you all are going to a different community with a different Uvalde," Baum told CNN's Jon Berman. "What happened in Texas is horrific. What happened here is horrific."
On January 20th, it begins...
Political revenge. Mass deportations. Project 2025. Unfathomable corruption. Attacks on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Pardons for insurrectionists. An all-out assault on democracy. Republicans in Congress are scrambling to give Trump broad new powers to strip the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit he doesn’t like by declaring it a “terrorist-supporting organization.” Trump has already begun filing lawsuits against news outlets that criticize him. At Common Dreams, we won’t back down, but we must get ready for whatever Trump and his thugs throw at us. Our Year-End campaign is our most important fundraiser of the year. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. By donating today, please help us fight the dangers of a second Trump presidency. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Dr. David Baum, an obstetrician based in Highland Park, Illinois who was attending the Fourth of July parade there on Monday, ended up helping to treat injuries he called "unspeakable" after a gunman killed at least six people and injured 26 others.
The suspect, 21-year-old Robert Crimo III, allegedly used a legally purchased "high-powered rifle," according to the New York Times, in the attack at the Chicago suburb's annual July 4th celebration.
The gunfire caused "wartime injuries," Baum told CNN's "New Day."
\u201cA doctor at the scene of the July 4th parade shooting says the victims were \u201cblown up\u201d from the gunfire, calling the injuries \u201cunspeakable.\u201d\n\u201cThese are the bullets and guns that 18-year-olds have a right to shoot down on a parade in a sleepy little community.\u201d\u201d— CNN This Morning (@CNN This Morning) 1657022975
"The people who were killed were killed instantly," the doctor said. "The people who were gone were blown up by that gunfire."
Baum noted that he's seen numerous major wounds as a physician, but said "the power of this gun" caused an "evisceration injury" as well as "an unspeakable head injury" in another victim.
"What I saw was just families' lives forever changed because... somebody who shouldn't have had access to a high-powered rifle got up on a rooftop and decided to do what he wanted to do."
The doctor spoke openly about the need for strict regulations to keep people from accessing the type of gun allegedly used by Crimo and other gunmen in recent shootings like the one that killed 19 children and two adults in Uvalde, Texas in May.
"The horror of what I saw was that this community will never, ever be the same," said Baum. "What I saw was just families' lives forever changed because they were walking down with their kids on their scooters and somebody who shouldn't have had access to a high-powered rifle got up on a rooftop and decided to do what he wanted to do."
He added that he does not understand why Americans can obtain "a weapon that is meant for war." The injuries he saw "are what are seen in victims of war, not victims at a parade," Baum said.
The shooting in Uvalde in May prompted calls from medical professionals and gun control advocates for the release of photos of the injuries caused by AR-15s--the gun used in Uvalde and in a number of other mass shootings in recent years--and similar weapons.
"The problem with this country is the failure to recognize that every week you all are going to a different community with a different Uvalde," Baum told CNN's Jon Berman. "What happened in Texas is horrific. What happened here is horrific."
From Your Site Articles
Dr. David Baum, an obstetrician based in Highland Park, Illinois who was attending the Fourth of July parade there on Monday, ended up helping to treat injuries he called "unspeakable" after a gunman killed at least six people and injured 26 others.
The suspect, 21-year-old Robert Crimo III, allegedly used a legally purchased "high-powered rifle," according to the New York Times, in the attack at the Chicago suburb's annual July 4th celebration.
The gunfire caused "wartime injuries," Baum told CNN's "New Day."
\u201cA doctor at the scene of the July 4th parade shooting says the victims were \u201cblown up\u201d from the gunfire, calling the injuries \u201cunspeakable.\u201d\n\u201cThese are the bullets and guns that 18-year-olds have a right to shoot down on a parade in a sleepy little community.\u201d\u201d— CNN This Morning (@CNN This Morning) 1657022975
"The people who were killed were killed instantly," the doctor said. "The people who were gone were blown up by that gunfire."
Baum noted that he's seen numerous major wounds as a physician, but said "the power of this gun" caused an "evisceration injury" as well as "an unspeakable head injury" in another victim.
"What I saw was just families' lives forever changed because... somebody who shouldn't have had access to a high-powered rifle got up on a rooftop and decided to do what he wanted to do."
The doctor spoke openly about the need for strict regulations to keep people from accessing the type of gun allegedly used by Crimo and other gunmen in recent shootings like the one that killed 19 children and two adults in Uvalde, Texas in May.
"The horror of what I saw was that this community will never, ever be the same," said Baum. "What I saw was just families' lives forever changed because they were walking down with their kids on their scooters and somebody who shouldn't have had access to a high-powered rifle got up on a rooftop and decided to do what he wanted to do."
He added that he does not understand why Americans can obtain "a weapon that is meant for war." The injuries he saw "are what are seen in victims of war, not victims at a parade," Baum said.
The shooting in Uvalde in May prompted calls from medical professionals and gun control advocates for the release of photos of the injuries caused by AR-15s--the gun used in Uvalde and in a number of other mass shootings in recent years--and similar weapons.
"The problem with this country is the failure to recognize that every week you all are going to a different community with a different Uvalde," Baum told CNN's Jon Berman. "What happened in Texas is horrific. What happened here is horrific."
From Your Site Articles
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.