As revelers around the nation celebrated the 4th of July, many marked a return to some semblance of normalcy.
Instead of worrying about the pandemic and the economic turmoil that it caused, we were celebrating the rising tide of the post-COVID era. We no longer had to concern ourselves with masks, (unless is specific situations), and we hadn’t thought about wiping our groceries down with Lysol or bleach in months.
Now, as we kicked back with some hot dogs and cold brews, the biggest concern that many of us were experiencing had to do with making sure our friends and family didn’t blow any of their fingers off with fireworks.
Well, at least that’s what we thought was our biggest concern. As it turns out, there was a tragedy lurking just over the horizon.
An Iowa man has been arrested after a rifle and ammunition were found near a window inside his hotel room in downtown Chicago on the Fourth of July, officials said.
A member of the cleaning staff at the W Hotel alerted authorities about firearms he found “in a very suspicious position inside one of the rooms” on Sunday, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said Tuesday.
Here is where it gets scary.
The rifle and handgun, along with five rifle magazines, were found laying on the windowsill of the hotel room on the busy holiday weekend night, Brown said. Prosecutors clarified Tuesday the rifle had four magazines next to it and a live round in the chamber, Chicago ABC station WLS reported.
The hotel overlooks Navy Pier and the lakefront, where hordes of people gather for Fourth of July festivities.
Chicago has been in the grips of a summer crime wave that has seen an inordinate amount of shootings and homicides throughout the Windy City, and peaking on holiday weekends.
