Doctor says Fourth of July shooting victims were ‘blown up’ from gunfire

A doctor at the scene of the shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Ill., said the victims were “blown up” from the gunfire, causing “unspeakable” injuries. 

David Baum and his wife, Debra Baum, attended the parade to see their grandson march with a toy lawnmower. David Baum told CNN’s John Berman on Tuesday that he ran back to the scene after the shooting ended to treat people and saw victims screaming on the ground. 

“The people who were gone were blown up by that gunfire, blown up,” he said. “The horrific scene of some of the bodies is unspeakable for the average person.” 

Baum said one person’s body was “eviscerated” and one person had an “unspeakable” head injury. He said the community will never be the same. 

The gunman killed at least six and injured two dozen others during the shooting in the northern Chicago suburb on Monday. Police described a gun recovered at the scene as a “high-powered rifle” and said the shooter appeared to be firing from the roof of a store. 

Police have arrested a person of interest in connection with the shooting. 

Baum said he grew up in the area and later moved back to raise his children, adding that his daughter and son-in-law moved to the area because they were concerned about gun violence and carjackings in the city. 

“What I saw was just families’ lives forever changed because they were walking down with their kids and 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,” Baum said. 

He said he has seen a lot of blood throughout his career as a physician but that these were “wartime” injuries. 

Debra Baum said the people “didn’t have a chance” and the entire incident happened in 30 seconds. She said her goal on Monday was to ensure her family’s safety. 

“But today, I’m just so sad,” she said. “Today it’s hitting me more just how sad I am.”