Survivors recall running, hiding amid chaos of Highland Park mass shooting
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (CBS) – Survivors of Monday's mass shooting at a July 4th parade in Highland park are trying to find a way to cope with the trauma of what they witnessed.
CBS 2's Tim McNicholas spent Tuesday speaking with people who ran for their lives, hid in vacant storefronts and took cover in apartment doorways.
The Crane family showed CBS their camera roll from Monday morning, which was full of happy photos and smiles.
Candice Crane took her 6-year-old to use the bathroom. Meanwhile, her husband Aaron took a video as he enjoyed the parade alongside their 1-year-old. At the very end of the clip, the first shot can be heard.
"You know you hear about other shootings and you think to yourself, 'Well, what would I do in that situation?'" said Aaron Crane. "And then you're faced with it and, you know, the adrenaline gets pumping and it's all very, like tunnel vision."
The couple also recalled what they saw during the chaos of the shooting.
"And I don't think I'll ever get this image out of my mind," said Candice Crane. "I saw like the whole crowd of people running toward us."
Candace and her 6-year-old found a vacant storefront with an open door and hid underneath a counter. Aaron carried his 1-year-old to an apartment doorway and a stranger let them inside.
Another witness Jessica Cohen, was at the parade with her 5-year-old daughter. Cohen is a local orthodontist, so she and her daughter rushed into her office for safety along with several others.
"My 5-year-old couldn't sleep last night," Cohen said. "People were setting off fireworks and there was thunder and she thought she was hearing gunshots."