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4th Of July Parade Shooting Person Of Interest Is Chicago-Area Rapper; Videos Have Shooting Imagery

Erik Pedersen, Tom Tapp and David Robb
·2 min read

UPDATED, 4:54 PM:  A Chicago-area rapper identified by authorities as a person of interest in the Fourth of July parade shooting has been arrested.

Deadline will not identify him.

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Person of interest in Highland Park shooting - Credit: Highland Park Police Department
Person of interest in Highland Park shooting - Credit: Highland Park Police Department

Highland Park Police Department

One of his music videos, for the song “Toy Soldier,” features crude, stick-figure-like animation of a man firing a long gun at people and later lying face-down in a pool of blood after apparently being shot by police. The accompanying lyric is: “I just want to scream/F*ck this world/Livin’ the dream.”

He also has an IMDb page that lists him as the writer, director, composer, producer and actor in a pair of music videos. In one, he is rapping on a set made to resemble a small classroom. He is seated at a desk and reaches into his backpack; the screen goes dark, and a gunshot-like sound is heard. When the video returns, he is on his knees and falls to the floor. Maniacal laughter is heard, he drops shell casings from his hands and rubs against an American flag.

The person of interest has nearly 30 songs posted on Spotify, and his Facebook “fan club” page has 223 followers.

In one of the videos posted online he is seen sitting on his bed, arms on his knees and looking at the camera. On the wall behind him is the front page of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette with the headline “Oswald Slain in Jail,” likely a reference to the death of JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.

The 21-year-old’s Instagram page is populated only with groups of the same three black-and-white photos of him in different poses.

Police continue to warn the public that the person of interest is on the loose and considered armed and dangerous. He is believed to be driving a 2010 Honda Fit with Illinois plates.

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