Darren Bailey gets widespread condemnation for telling Illinoisans to ‘move on’ from Highland Park shooting

Hours after the mass shooting in Highland Park, Ill., GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey publicly called for everyone to “move on” while the shooter was still at-large.

“…Let’s move on and let’s celebrate the independence of our nation,” Bailey said in a video posted to his Facebook page. “We know the mission. We have got to get corruption and evil out of our government, and we have got to elect men and women of honor and courage to get this country and this state back on track.”

Bailey faced harsh criticism for his tone-deaf comment, which he responded to by calling for prayers and cracking down on mental health. He made no mention of gun control legislation even though mass shootings are becoming commonplace in American society.

This is what happens with MAGA type candidates. They have been so trained with “own the libs” and anger that they lost the ability to have compassion. @DarrenBaileyIL

Also, Pritzker spent over $30 million to help this bad man win the GOP primary. Sick of this yet America? https://t.co/uytlrKyWAc

— Adam Kinzinger ✌️ (@AdamKinzinger) July 5, 2022

The shooting in Highland Park happened in the morning hours at a Fourth of July parade.  Seven people were killed and at least 30 others were injured by the assault rifle used by the gunman. Numerous Fourth of July celebrations were canceled following the massacre.

“There are no words for the kind of evil that shows up for a public celebration of freedom, hides on a roof and shoots innocent people with an assault rifle,” said Gov. J.B. Pritzker in a press conference.

Police arrested Robert “Bobby” Crimo, a 21-year-old, as a person of interest. He frequently attended Trump rallies and made disturbing content on the internet, including a music video which depicted a school shooting. He was taken into custody around 6:30 p.m. Monday, less than twelve hours after the shooting began.