Heartbreaking photo shows children colouring on shop floor as they hide from active shooter in Highland Park

‘You could see the terror on their faces. They knew what to do because of moments like now’

Children who were forced to shelter in place after a gunman opened fire at a 4th of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, filled in colouring books in the basement of a business in the Illinois city as law enforcement searched for the fugitive suspect.

In an image tweeted by CBS Chicago reporter Marissa Parra, the five young kids are closely watched over by two adults as they draw and play with playdough.

“They colour in their red white and blue while their parents wait to find out if there’s a gunman on the loose outside,” Ms Parra tweeted.

Six people were killed and at least two dozen were wounded when the gunman opened fire on the Highland Park Independence Day parade with a high-powered rifle from a rooftop.

At least one child suffered critical injures, officials said in a press briefing.

Children sheltering in place in the basement of a Highland Park business

They colour in their red white and blue while their parents wait to find out if there’s a gunman on the loose outside. @cbschicago https://t.co/NC7aWOHSnJ pic.twitter.com/iB7cFANgdK

— Marissa Parra (@MarParNews) July 4, 2022

Law enforcement and city officials urged city residents to remain in their homes and businesses as they continued to search for the suspected shooter.

The shooting sparked panicked scenes as hundreds fled the parade route.

Mother Kristen Carlson told MSNBC she and her two eldest children had helped reunite young children with their families in the aftermath of the shooting.

“People just ran and they just left their stuff and people were running,” she told the cable news network from her mother’s home a few blocks from the shooting where she was sheltering in place.

“It was terrifying. You could see the terror on their faces.”

Many of the children who were caught up in the shooting were aged seven to 10 years old, Ms Carlson said.

“They were scared. They had terrified looks on their faces but they were so composed because they’ve been through active shooter drills and they knew what to do.

“They knew what to do because of moments like now.”

At least one child was taken to hospital in a critical condition.